I'm Dying For A White Christmas
by QueenOfTheCastle1021
Summary: My take on the Christmas episode for Season Three:  Christmas in New York City with Castle and Beckett solving a twisted murder mystery...  and did I mention there's mistletoe?  ;-  Please R&R!  CHAPTER SIXTEEN IS UP!  And the story is complete!
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Notes: **_

_**First off, I want to say a HUGE thank-you to Pskepsilon from the ABC Castle boards for helping me with this story! **_

_**This is going to be another full-length story, complete with an odd case of its own, and hopefully reading like an actual episode would. **_

_**This one is just my take on the upcoming Christmas episode this season. We're looking to have the next couple of chapters posted in the next week or so, but here's the opening chapter for now:**_

Chapter One

It's Christmas in New York City. Despite the early hour, people are already walking down the snow-covered sidewalks, shopping bags in hand, trying to make the most of their last-minute holiday shopping time.

At the 12th Precinct, the elevator doors to the homicide department open up to reveal Detective Kate Beckett. It's early in the morning and signs of a restless night are evident on her face. She enters the bullpen and stops dead in her tracks, noticing that the department has been turned into its own winter wonderland. Lights are strung everywhere, glistening off of the garland hung from corner to corner of the bullpen and around the doorframes of each of the rooms. Ornaments and other decorations have been hung from the ceiling. As Beckett slowly glances around the room, she notices her desk, wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper and with a small yet extensively decorated fake tree placed beside her computer. Even the two chairs at her desk have been covered in garland, each with a large cherry-red bow plastered on the back. Frozen in place, Kate is stunned, shaking her head as if she thinks she is dreaming.

Ryan and Esposito notice their partner, unmoving and brow furrowed. They quickly join her. She glared at them as they approached. "Why does it look like an elf threw up on my desk?" She asked, raising an eyebrow accusingly at her colleagues.

Esposito grinned and pointed towards the break room. Beckett looked over and saw the perpetrator gleefully decorating a massive Christmas tree in the back corner of the room.

"Castle?" Kate asked. "I should have known." She added, shaking her head.

"He's been here all morning." Esposito replied, still grinning.

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, he wanted to surprise you."

Beckett looked back at the two detectives, both smiling in response to her steely glare. "Oh, I'm surprised, alright…" She replied dryly as she rolled her eyes.

Kate headed straight towards the break room, where Castle was still busy decorating the large tree. Her eyes glanced up at the top of the doorway before she entered the room, shaking her head again. She started making two cups of coffee.

Castle spun around at the sound, a glowing smile across his face. "So what do you think?" He asked, unable to contain his excitement.

Beckett looked back at him and opened her mouth to reply. She held herself back from making the smug comment she had intended to, instead holding out a cup of coffee for him. "You could probably use one of these." She said, offering him the cup.

"Thanks." He replied, still smiling. Castle took a sip of his coffee and pointed back towards the half-decorated tree in the corner of the room. "Do you want to help?" He asked.

Beckett's brow furrowed as she replied. "Actually, I have a lot of paperwork to get caught up on." She turned and started to walk out of the room.

"Hold on!" Castle shouted over at her, stopping her in her tracks just outside of the door. Beckett spun around, eyebrow raised. "Can you just take a couple of steps back this way?" He asked, trying to hide his grin.

Beckett smirked. "Sure." She said, playing along. She moved back towards the room as Castle walked towards the doorway. She took an extra step into the room and watched carefully as his smile faded into a look of frustration. Kate had to work hard to hold back her laugh.

"That was more than a couple of steps…" Castle started, his frustration now obvious. "Take one step back." He instructed her.

Beckett again smirked and played along. This time, she took one long stride back, putting herself on the other side of the doorway again. When she noticed his dismay, she couldn't help but laugh.

Castle looked up at her, realizing that she knew exactly what he was trying to do. "How'd you know?" He asked, almost pouting. Before she could answer, he rolled his eyes and replied, "I know, I know, you're a trained detective."

Beckett smiled. "You should have hidden the mistletoe on the inside of the doorway." She suggested as she walked away, Castle following closely. "It was too easy to see from the outside."

Castle nodded, as if making a mental note of her idea. He caught up to her at her desk. She fumbled with the chair, deciding how she could go about sitting on it with it wrapped up the way it was. Before she could even decide if it was worth the effort, her phone rang, distracting her from her thoughts. Beckett placed her coffee on the desk and answered.

"Beckett." She listened intently to the person on the other end. "Thanks, we'll be right there."

Castle looked at her and she just nodded towards the elevator, their silent cue. Beckett waved over Ryan and Esposito and the four of them made their way to their new crime scene.

* * *

Castle and Beckett walked through the Macy's store, escorted towards the scene by uniformed officers. Ryan and Esposito were already well ahead of them. They spotted the yellow police tape roped around the SantaLand display in the middle of the large store.

"You know, I loved bringing Alexis here when she was younger." Castle reminisced as they got closer to the display. "Until one year, she was only five years old, but she had started to suspect the whole Santa story. I brought her here and she started grilling the Santa with questions. Poor guy." Castle laughed. "He looked a lot like one of your suspects in an interrogation room."

Beckett smiled at the comparison. "Well, I actually wasn't that smart at her age." She laughed. "I believed in Santa until I was ten." Her smile faded slightly. "I guess I was a little more naive back then."

Castle caught the pained look in her eyes and was about to say something when they approached their partners.

"So what've we got?" Beckett asked.

Esposito smirked. "You wouldn't believe it if I told you…" He said, nodding towards the scene.

Beckett and Castle looked over and saw the body that Lanie was standing over, dressed fully in the Macy's Santa Claus suit.

Castle was the first to speak. "I guess someone's getting coal in their stocking…"


	2. Chapter 2

_**Sorry for the delay in updating with this chapter, but it has been a crazy month!**_

_**Chapter Three will be along shortly, and we should be well into the story in another few weeks as I will hopefully be able to get the next few chapters updated here as quickly as possible.**_

_**As always, reviews are appreciated!**_

Chapter Two

Macy's was always packed at this time of year, but on this particular day the usual frantic customers were replaced with uniformed officers, CSU investigators, and a handful of witnesses and potential suspects.

Beckett glanced over at Ryan and Esposito, who were busy taking statements from the witnesses. She focused her attention back on the task at hand and approached Lanie, who was stooped over the victim. Castle followed closely behind, taking in the sights of the scene.

Beckett crouched down beside the M.E. "What've you got for me?"

Lanie pulled the fake beard away from the victim's face. "For starters, your vic is Peter McKay." She replied.

Beckett's brow furrowed. "You know him?"

Lanie looked back at her friend, a puzzled look on her face. "You don't?"

Beckett shook her head, the confusion evident in her eyes.

Castle's eyes widened as he questioned her, surprised. "Peter McKay, former child star? Best known for his role as a genius child prodigy who became a famous surgeon on the show 'Kid Gloves'?" He paused, noticing that Beckett still showed no signs of recognition. "How could you possibly not know who he is?"

"He did a string of bad movies and guest spots after that, trying to keep his career alive, but his fame didn't last." Lanie added.

Castle shook his head, muttering under his breath, "If he'd be on 'Saved By The Bell', you'd know who he was"

Beckett shot Castle a cold glare as he grew serious again, deep in thought. "Supposedly he was about to make his comeback, though. He got the role of a lifetime on a new sitcom and was supposed to start production on it this spring." He looked down at the victim, puzzled. "So why take the job of a department store Santa?"

Beckett looked down at the victim. "No signs of a struggle, no visible marks on the body." She glanced around and noticed a coffee cup lying on the ground a few feet away. "Poisoned?"

Lanie nodded. "Looks like it. I'll have to run a tox screen to know for sure, but I'd guess he had a little more than cream or sugar in his coffee this morning."

Beckett knelt down and took a quick whiff of the coffee. She winced. "Yeah, it's called vodka." She replied.

Lanie shook her head. "It had to be more than that. It had to be something pretty strong too. His system didn't even have a chance to try to purge it before he died from the effects of the poison."

Castle joined Beckett by the coffee cup and took a whiff for himself. "Almonds." He stated. "It could have been cyanide."

Beckett looked at Castle. "Studied poisons?" She asked, not at all surprised.

Castle grinned. "Research."

"Cyanide would fit the bill." Lanie replied. "I'll let you know for sure when the tox results are in."

Beckett stood up and nodded. "Thanks, Lanie. Let me know if you find anything else."

The M.E. turned and signalled to have the body taken back to the morgue as Beckett and Castle walked away towards the slew of uniformed officers surrounding the various witnesses. Ryan and Esposito joined them.

"So, what do we have to go on here?" Beckett asked her partners.

Esposito filled Beckett and Castle in on what they knew. "The store had just opened for the day, and they were getting ready to start up the SantaLand display."

"Luckily, there were only eight people here when our vic dropped." Ryan added.

Esposito motioned towards the witnesses. "Mostly store staff, some who worked in the department, some working the display with the vic."

"And just one customer, a regular here." Ryan chimed in.

Esposito nodded, looking down at his notes. "They all gave the same story. The vic took a sip of his morning coffee and collapsed almost immediately. A few ran to check on him, one ran off to call 9-1-1, and the rest were too stunned to move."

Ryan motioned to the spot where Peter had collapsed. "By the time the paramedics got here, he was already dead. That's when they called us in."

Beckett looked around the scene one last time before handing out her instructions. "Well, based on what we know, these eight people are our best suspects right now. You two get whatever else you can from each of them and then let them go. Let's make sure we've got eyes on them, though, and we'll see if one of them slips up." Ryan and Esposito nodded in agreement before Beckett continued. "Castle and I will head back to the station to see if Lanie's got anything for us yet and run a background check on our vic, see if anything pops."

Ryan and Esposito nodded once more and headed back towards the witnesses again.

Beckett took out her cell phone. Castle looked over at Beckett. "Who are you calling?"

Beckett replied. "The Captain. We need to keep the store locked down until we can clear the scene. I want every inch of this place swept for evidence. If the poison is still here somewhere, we'll find it."

Before she could make her call, a well-dressed man approached them, obviously having slipped away from the guard of the uniformed officers. Beckett closed her phone and looked at the man.

"My apologies for intruding, Detective." The man began, extending his hand out to Beckett. "I'm Tyler Brooks, the store manager."

Beckett shook his hand politely. "Mr. Brooks, I'm Detective Kate Beckett and this is Richard Castle." She stated, as Castle reached out and shook Tyler's hand as well.

Tyler smiled. "Oh yes, I know who you are, Mr. Castle. My girlfriend is a great fan of your novels."

Castle grinned, ready to reply when Beckett cut him off. "I assure you, Mr. Brooks, we will do everything we can to find Mr. McKay's killer."

"I'm sure you will, Detective." Tyler replied, a frown forming on his face. "Though I am a little concerned about having to close the department down for any amount of time this close to Christmas. I'm sure you can understand that this is our busiest time of year and the loss in revenue would be catastrophic to the store."

Beckett glared at the man in front of her. "Mr. Brooks, with all due respect, a man is dead. One of your own employees. And it's highly likely that one of your other employees is the one who murdered him."

Castle grinned. He always enjoyed watching Beckett put people in their place, as long as it wasn't him.

Tyler swallowed hard and forced a smile. "You're absolutely right, Detective, please forgive my insensitivity. Whatever you need, however I can help in your investigation, I will cooperate in whatever way I can." He breathed deeply before continuing. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have some business to attend to." With that, Tyler excused himself and hurried away.

Castle snickered after Tyler had left. "Wow, a real life Mr. Scrooge!" He exclaimed.

Beckett chuckled as she turned to leave the store. "Well, come on Tiny Tim, we've got work to do."


	3. Chapter 3

**_Thanks for being patient, everyone! I know the story is off to a rather slow start, but this past month or so has been incredibly busy and it's left me with little free time to write. But life will return to at least semi-normal in a couple of weeks for me, so I'll be updating much quicker at that point!_**

**_Until then:  
_**

Chapter Three

The precinct was now buzzing with activity, as it usually was at this late hour of the morning. Beckett sat on her desk, which was still wrapped in Castle's holiday cheer, and stared at the fresh murder board in front of her. Castle made his way out of the break room and joined her, coffees in hand.

"Thanks." She said, accepting the warm mug and scooting over on the desk to give Castle room to join her.

Castle hopped up onto the desk, the wrapping paper crinkling under him. Beckett rolled her eyes and Castle noticed. "You really don't like the decorations, do you?"

Beckett looked over at him, a disappointed look evident on his face. She found it hard to burst his bubble, but she also didn't like to lie to him. "Why would you say that?" She responded, hoping that her question would somehow enable her to dance around having to answer his.

Castle didn't hesitate before replying. "You just didn't seem as excited as I thought you'd be." He paused, noticing that she looked down to avoid his gaze. "I wanted to surprise you and bring some holiday spirit to this place since you spend so much time here, even over the holidays."

Beckett swallowed hard and looked back at him. "I'm sorry. It was really sweet of you to do that, Castle, and I do appreciate the effort." She said sincerely. Seeing his disappointment forced her to look away and back at the murder board. "I guess I'm just not that into the holiday, that's all."

Castle stared at her, confused and somewhat taken aback. "How can you not be into Christmas?" He exclaimed, loudly enough to draw some attention from the rest of the bullpen.

Beckett looked around nervously and then turned her gaze downward. She closed her eyes briefly and breathed deeply, finally opening her mouth to answer.

As Castle waited for her reply, Beckett's phone rang, stopping her words from coming out. She grabbed her phone and answered. "Beckett." She paused, listening intently to the person on the other end. "Thanks, we'll be right down."

Beckett sprung herself off of her desk and turned to Castle. "That was Lanie. She's got something for us."

Castle nodded and followed her out of the bullpen.

* * *

Lanie looked up as Castle and Beckett entered the morgue. "Nice work on the Christmas wonderland upstairs, Castle." She said, smiling at the writer.

"Thanks, I'm glad somebody enjoyed it." Castle replied, nodding towards Beckett.

Kate rolled her eyes as Lanie studied her expression.

"So what can you tell us?" Beckett asked, ready to get down to business.

Lanie handed Beckett a file. "Tox came back positive for both trace amounts of alcohol and a lethal dose of cyanide."

"I called it!" Castle exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

Beckett couldn't help but smile, despite her best efforts to glare at her partner instead.

Lanie continued. "We tested the coffee cup and it came back positive for both substances as well. Looks like your vic was definitely poisoned, and with that amount of cyanide in his system, he didn't stand much of a chance."

Beckett looked over at the body. "Anything else?"

Lanie shook her head. "No other toxins and no evidence or signs of anything else on the body. He was in good physical condition, in fact, looks like he'd been taking good care of himself these days."

Beckett's phone rang and she looked down at the caller ID. "I'll take this outside." She said, excusing herself and exiting the doors to the morgue before answering.

Castle watched as the doors closed behind her, turning to Lanie immediately afterwards. "Okay, so what's the deal with Beckett and Christmas?" He asked.

Lanie avoided his stare and looked down at her clipboard. "Leave it alone, Castle." She replied.

"Seriously, Lanie, how can anyone not love this holiday?" He asked again, his growing frustration evident in his voice.

Lanie just looked back at him, surprised at his obliviousness. "Really, Castle? You've been 'observing' her for a year and a half and you can't figure it out?"

Castle looked confused, searching his mind for the answer but drawing a blank.

"Let me ask you this, writer boy, what is it that you love so much about Christmas?" Lanie asked, hoping he would figure this out for himself without her having to give up her friend's secret.

Castle smiled at the very thought of the holiday. "The gift-giving, the cheery music, the classic movies and holiday shows, people just naturally being in a whole different spirit. Christmas just brings out the best in everyone. Or almost everyone."

"What else, Castle?" Lanie asked, further prodding him.

Castle's eyes twinkled as he thought. "Seeing the look on Alexis' face when she opens her presents on Christmas morning, that's definitely the best part." He paused, suddenly understanding. "Being with my family, sharing the holidays with the people I care most about." A look of sadness came over him as it all clicked in his mind.

Lanie nodded. "Exactly."

Castle looked at Lanie, a pained expression on his face. "She lost her mother and she nearly lost her father too. She would have had a long string of Christmases without any family to celebrate with." He said, thinking out loud. The look on Lanie's face was enough to let him know that he was right.

Before either could say another word, Beckett returned, silencing them both. She looked at the saddened expressions on both of their faces and her brow furrowed.

"What did I miss?" She asked, confused at the sudden change in their demeanours.

Castle fumbled for an excuse. "A man is dead, detective. Isn't that enough?"

Beckett knew something was going on, but she just looked suspiciously between Castle and Lanie and decided not to push any further. "Okay…" She said, leaving it at that. "Well, Ryan and Esposito should be back soon. Let's head back up and see what they've got for us." She turned to leave again, calling back to her friend on her way out. "Thanks, Lanie."

"Yes, thank you, Lanie." Castle added, nodding at her as he left as well.

Lanie chuckled as she turned towards the body on her table. "You know they'd both be lost without me, don't you?" She asked the body in front of her, laughing to herself. "You may be dead, but I know you see it."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thank you all for your patience in the extremely long gap between the last chapter and this one! Life has become slightly more normal these days, so I'm hoping to churn out these chapters much faster from here on out.**_

_**For those of you who have been waiting for a classic Castle/Beckett chapter, Chapter Five (which will hopefully be posted before or during the weekend) is one of my very favourite chapters from any of my stories, so I hope you enjoy it!**_

_**Until then, let's get the investigation moving along…**_

Chapter Four

Castle and Beckett sat on the edge of Beckett's desk, staring intently at the murder board in front of them, names and photos of the eight prime suspects now filling the board with possibilities. Ryan and Esposito joined them.

Beckett was the first to break the silence. "Okay, so what do we know?"

"Based on the timeline, it's likely that one of these eight suspects is our killer." Castle responded.

Ryan nodded his head in agreement. "Sure, but which one is it?"

"They were all pointing the finger at someone different." Esposito added.

Beckett rose from her perch on the desk and walked up to the board, pointing at the first photo. "Tyler Brooks, the store manager who we met at the scene."

"He did seem a little insensitive about one of his employees being murdered." Castle replied.

"According to some of the other suspects, our vic had been giving him a lot to deal with recently." Esposito agreed. "Drinking on the job, getting into arguments with the other employees, not exactly a model worker."

Beckett shook her head. "Sure, but if Mr. Brooks wanted to get rid of him, he could have just fired him. Murder doesn't seem like his best option."

"What about Brent Black, the back-up Santa? Professional jealousy maybe?" Ryan offered.

"Or Ally Shultz, the store's personal shopping assistant." Esposito chimed in. "According to the other suspects, she's the one who always got our vic's coffee in the morning."

Beckett looked over at the other five photos on the board. "What about the rest of them? What'd you get from them at the scene?"

Esposito pointed at the next photo. "Jason Samuels, a salesman in the shoe department. A little shifty, but he seemed harmless."

"Claire Martin." Ryan continued. "She was Mrs. Claus for the past fifteen years, one of the longest-employed people at the store."

Castle grinned. "Maybe Mrs. Claus caught Mr. Claus cheating on her?"

Beckett rolled her eyes. "They weren't actually married, Castle."

"No, but Sydney Carter was married to our vic at one point." Esposito replied.

Beckett stared at the picture of the well-known actress. "His ex-wife just happened to be there on the day he was murdered?"

"According to Ally, her personal shopper, Ms. Carter was a fairly loyal customer. Typically there once a week." Ryan responded.

Esposito nodded. "Yeah, but her and our vic got into it a few weeks back. She hadn't returned to the store since."

"Until today." Beckett chimed in, an accusing tone in her voice.

Castle shook his head and pointed at the last two photos. "What about these two?"

"Paul Dasher, the store's resident reindeer." Ryan piped up.

Esposito nodded. "And Rachel Mack, an elf in the SantaLand display."

Beckett kept her gaze focused on Sydney's photo as her partners studied the entire board.

"So where do we start?" Castle asked.

"Pick up the ex-wife." Beckett instructed Ryan and Esposito. "Bring her in for questioning."

Esposito and Ryan nodded and started to walk away when Castle piped up, stopping them in their tracks. "Why the ex-wife?" He asked cautiously.

Ryan and Esposito exchanged a knowing glance as they waited for the conversation to get interesting.

Beckett looked over at Castle, slightly confused by the way he seemed to question her instincts. "She had motive, opportunity, a history with the victim. Seems like a good place to start."

Castle shook his head. "Any one of these eight people could have easily had motive and opportunity. Why assume it was the ex-wife? Just because she and our victim had a fight a few weeks ago, it doesn't mean she wanted him dead."

Beckett's brow furrowed. "Do you have a better theory, Castle?"

"Well, no, I just…" Castle stammered.

Beckett looked over at Castle. "Look, I'm not saying she did it, but she seems like our most likely lead at this point. Plus, she knows the victim well, and we need to start somewhere." She continued to study Castle's reaction, confused by his skittishness.

Before Castle could respond, the familiar ring of Beckett's phone broke the tense silence. She looked down at the caller ID.

"I should take this." She said, excusing herself and heading towards the break room. She stopped along the way, turned back around, and addressed Ryan and Esposito. 'You two go pick Sydney up and bring her in for questioning."

Ryan and Esposito nodded, waiting for Beckett to get to the break room before turning around and glaring accusingly at Castle.

"Bro, what was that?" Esposito asked.

Castle shook his head, innocently. "What was what?"

"You questioning Beckett like that." Ryan replied. "What was that about?"

"It's nothing." Castle said, keeping a watchful eye on Beckett as she paced back and forth through the break room.

Esposito shook his head. "Spill, bro, or I'll get Lanie up here to question you in the interrogation room."

Ryan smirked as Castle brought his attention back to the guys with Esposito's threat.

"It's Gina." Castle admitted. "We've been arguing a lot lately. She's been upset about how much time I'm spending at the precinct with…" He trailed off, looking towards the break room again.

Esposito nodded knowingly. "She's jealous of Beckett." He tried to hide his smirk.

Castle shook his head. "She's just concerned that Beckett and I spend so much time together and I don't spend as much time with her because of that."

"Well, does she have a reason to be concerned?" Ryan asked.

Castle looked back at the break room for a quick moment and then turned his attention back to the guys. "You know how it is, we get caught up in a case and we don't stop until we've solved it."

Esposito nodded. "Sure, but is that all it is?"

Castle thought about that question. "Well, and you know that Beckett and I have gotten to be close. I mean, we're friends, you know? And she's been great to Alexis ever since Meredith passed away." He was now deep in thought, averting the eyes of his partners. "We've been through a lot together. We should be close after all of that, right?"

"Hey, we get it, bro." Esposito agreed.

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, Gina's just overreacting, right?"

Castle looked over at the break room again, focusing on Beckett as she continued to pace across the room. "Of course. Beckett sees me as her partner and her friend. That's all it is. She's happy with Josh and I'm happy with Gina."

Following Castle's gaze, Esposito chuckled to himself. He patted Castle on the shoulder and walked away. "If that's what you really believe, bro."

Castle didn't notice as Ryan shook his head and followed Esposito out of the bullpen. The writer continued to look over at Beckett, deep in thought as he watched her, concern spreading across his face when he realized she was arguing with somebody on her phone.

He took a step towards the break room and then stopped in his tracks. He shook his head as he turned back towards the desk and sat down, still watching the break room intently.


	5. Chapter 5

_**First off, my apologies for not mentioning before I posted the last chapter that I did, in fact decide to change the current events by having Meredith be the one who passed away. I started writing this story before it was revealed on the show that it was Chet, and although I really wasn't convinced otherwise, I felt that had Meredith been the one they killed off, it would make for a stronger moment in an upcoming chapter. Even after the storyline was revealed on the show, I decided to just run with my original plan and keep that moment in that later chapter.**_

_**With that said, here's my pride and joy of all of my Castle/Beckett chapters from all of my stories. All I can say is that if you enjoy this, just keep on reading because there will be plenty more where this came from later in the "episode".**_

_**And now, I present to you:**_

Chapter Five

Beckett emerged from the break room, taking a deep breath and regaining her composure as she walked towards her desk. She looked up, stopping in her tracks and focusing on the familiar brown of her desk and chair, now free from the wrapping paper that adorned it previously. She smiled to herself.

Castle sat on the edge of the desk, his back turned to the approaching detective as he studied the murder board again. Beckett took a seat beside him and handed him one of the cups of coffee in her hand, settling in before breaking the silence.

"Having second thoughts about your decorations?" She asked, glancing over at him.

Castle looked down towards the ground. "Christmas is my favourite holiday. I love everything about this time of year." Beckett continued to watch Castle as he spoke. "It never occurred to me that the holidays could be a difficult time for you. If I had known, I wouldn't have turned your desk into a giant Christmas present."

Beckett smiled and the two sat in silence for a moment. Kate studied the solemn look on Castle's face as he continued to keep his eyes focused downward. She swallowed hard before speaking, finally moving her gaze away from him.

"Christmas was my mother's favourite holiday." She began, immediately causing Castle to look up at her. "She'd spend all of her free time baking and wrapping gifts for us. My father would cover the house in lights and garland and every possible decoration you could imagine. The three of us would go out together and find the perfect tree every year. The bigger the better. We'd chop it down, strap it to the roof of our car, and bring it home. Then we'd put on some classic Christmas music and spend all night decorating it. Perfecting it. We'd sit around our creation, basked in the glow of its lights, and just take it all in. It was the always the most beautiful sight I could ever imagine."

Castle studied Kate in silence, letting her open up as much as she was willing to and secretly hoping she would never stop.

Beckett looked down at the ground and choked back the lump that was forming in her throat before she continued. "After my mother died, that first Christmas, it threw my father deeper into his depression. He just couldn't handle spending the holidays without her. He drank his way through it and for years afterwards. By the time he had sobered up, I guess I just couldn't bear the thought of celebrating anymore. Not without my mother and not with those memories of my father. So now he goes to see his brother and sister in-law upstate every year and I just stay here, catch up on whatever work I can, and try to let the holidays pass by quietly. It just feels like if it can never be the same as it once was, why ruin those memories with anything less?"

Castle swallowed hard as he silently watched Kate's eyes mist over. Even though she was doing her best to keep her eyes focused on the ground, his never left her solemn face. "I'm sorry." He replied, the sincerity obvious in his tone.

Beckett looked back at him. "Thank you, Castle." She paused and smiled as best she could. "For everything. I really appreciate it."

Castle grinned. "Your secret's safe with me, detective."

Beckett laughed a little and looked back at the ground as she composed herself again.

The pair sat like that in silence for a few moments before Beckett spoke again.

"Castle?" She asked tentatively.

Castle looked back at her in response, his silence urging her to continue.

Beckett smiled as she looked behind her at her desk. "Would it be okay if I had that little Christmas tree back?"

Castle smiled from ear to ear, leaping off of the desk and pulling the still-decorated tree out of a box beside him. "I thought you'd never ask!" He exclaimed.

Beckett laughed, watching Castle as he proudly displayed the tree on her desk once again.

Castle turned back to look at Beckett, a sly smirk on his face. "So now that you've warmed up to the tree, what are my chances with the mistletoe?" He asked as he pulled a twig of mistletoe from his pocket and held it up over his head.

Beckett rolled her eyes and did her best to hide her amusement. "Don't push your luck, Castle." She grinned as she walked away to the break room.

Castle smiled as he put the mistletoe back in his pocket, giving a quick thumbs up to the tiny Christmas tree on Beckett's desk before following her.


	6. Chapter 6

_**First off, my apologies for the huge delay in getting this chapter posted. On the upside, the entire story has been fully outlined now and many chapters have been written, so updates should come quite steadily once I've had a chance to edit and rewrite them. I'm hoping to have the entire story completed and uploaded over the next few days, so stay tuned!**_

_**In order to get this story uploaded in a timely manner, I will unfortunately be going the rest of the way solo. I do want to thank my dear partner in writing, Pskepsilon, for his immense help with the story so far and it's my hope that he will still be able to assist in editing these chapters after they've been posted, so there may be changes from time to time here. But for now, you'll just have to settle for my solo work (I hope I don't disappoint!)**_

_**And now, on with the story…**_

Chapter Six

Castle and Beckett escorted Sydney into one of the offices at the precinct and motioned for her to take a seat as they got comfortable opposite her.

"Thank you for coming in, Ms. Carter." Beckett began. "I'm Detective Kate Beckett and this is Richard Castle."

Sydney nodded. "Yes, I know who you are. There's quite a great deal of hype surrounding your upcoming novel-turned-film, Mr. Castle."

Castle smiled at the thought while Beckett continued to focus her attention on the well-dressed woman in front of her. "We appreciate your assistance in our investigation and we promise not to take up too much of your time." She stated.

Sydney turned serious. "Whatever I can do to help, detective. Peter may have been my ex-husband, but I did care very deeply for him and I certainly hope you will bring whoever did this to him to justice."

Castle looked over at Beckett before he spoke. "Forgive me for asking, Ms. Carter, but you and your ex were overheard having quite an argument not that long ago."

Sydney winced at the thought. "Yes, that's true."

"Would you mind telling us what it was about?" Beckett prodded.

Sydney took a deep breath before she replied. "Peter wanted my assistance to stage his comeback. He thought it would be good press for us to make it look like we had reconciled and were getting back together."

"And you were against the idea?" Castle asked.

"Of course, Mr. Castle." Sydney laughed. "It took me years to repair my image after our messy divorce and I had finally found myself back on top while he found himself in the gutter. I wasn't about to let him use me to further his own career and risk having him drag mine back down again."

Beckett's brow furrowed. "So what happened when you told him that?"

"Well, he didn't take it well." Sydney explained. "Peter thought I owed it to him, that he had helped build my career in the first place and now it was time for me to repay him that favour. He tried to threaten that if I didn't help him with this, he would reveal some rather unimpressive details of my past."

"Such as?" Castle asked, unable to hide his own curiosity.

Sydney glared at the prying writer. "When I was first struggling to break into the industry, I found it difficult to get a solid gig. So I did whatever I had to in order to survive. I'm sure you can fill in the blanks from there, Mr. Castle."

"Your ex-husband threatening you must not have won you over." Beckett replied, trying to get whatever she could out of the actress.

Sydney grinned. "No, not at all. But I was used to Peter acting that way and I set him straight. I simply told him those threats went both ways, that I could ruin him just as easily as he could ruin me. We left it at that." Her grin quickly faded. "That was the last time I spoke to him."

Beckett studied the woman's reaction, trying to process the truth in her eyes. "After that, though, you tried to have him fired."

"Yes, that's true." Sydney replied. "Look, detective, I'm not proud of what I did. I wanted to make sure he knew that I was the one in control, not him. So I went to Mr. Brooks and demanded that he let Peter go from the company, put him out on the street before Christmas."

"But Mr. Brooks refused?" Castle asked.

"Yes." Sydney answered. "He refused to fire him over our argument and told me that Peter had been struggling with a drinking problem and would surely dig his own grave soon enough. I accepted that and opted to take my business elsewhere until I had a chance to calm down."

"So what made you decide to return to the store?" Beckett asked.

Sydney looked at the ground for a moment before responding. "I felt badly about Ally and Jason losing out on my commissions. They were good to me, wonderful sales people really, and I suppose my shopping needs far outweighed my personal issues with Peter."

Beckett continued to study the woman across from her. "Is there anything else you can tell us, Ms. Carter, anyone who would have had motive to kill Peter?"

Sydney pondered the question for just a moment before she spoke. "If anybody at that store had a reason to want him dead, it was Brent, his so-called understudy. I found it odd that Brent would even be at the store at that time of day. He was only there to fill in for Peter on his days off and his lunch break, so why was he there so early that day?" She paused for a moment. "Those two really were bitter rivals, you know. Brent certainly would have celebrated Peter's death, whether he caused it or not."

* * *

"I didn't kill Peter." Brent shot back, standing his ground opposite the detective and her partner as they interrogated him from across the desk.

Beckett kept her position, hands folded calmly in front of her, unmoving as she sat behind the desk in the interrogation room. "With all due respect, Mr. Black, we know you and Mr. McKay were far from friends."

Brent glared back at Beckett and Castle. "No, detective, we weren't. Truth be told, I couldn't stand the guy." He paused as he continued, keeping his cool. "Peter got every role we ever competed for, including the one that made him a household name when we were kids."

"You resented him for it, didn't you?" Castle asked.

"Of course." Brent replied, matter-of-factly. "But it's part of the business."

Beckett opened up the folder in front of her and glanced down at the information. "Isn't it true that Mr. McKay went so far as to ruin your reputation in order to win a role over you? I'm sure that's not exactly part of the business."

Brent smirked. "You've gotta do what you've gotta do sometimes."

"Yet even as he's poised to make his comeback in the industry, he's still unwilling to give up his small-time gig as the Macy's store Santa? That didn't bother you?" Castle pried.

"It was just how childish Pete could be, Mr. Castle." Brent responded. "I kept my job as his understudy, knowing he'd eventually be himself and screw this up."

Beckett studied the calm man across from her. "So why were you there so early this morning, Mr. Black? Isn't it a bit of coincidence that you just happened to be there hours before your shift on the day that your rival is poisoned?"

Brent smirked again. "Bad timing, I suppose." He paused and continued in a more serious tone. "Listen, detective, I hear a rumour that Pete had been drinking on the job. I figured one of these days he'd screw this up for himself and get caught. I wanted to be there when he did, prove that I was the right man to take over for him."

Castle stared back at him. "And you expect us to believe that?"

Brent looked at Castle, mustering all of the sincerity that he could to try to prove his innocence. "Look, I know how it sounds. But really, Pete didn't have too many fans in that place and anyone there would have been happy to kick the bucket." He studied the defeated look on Castle's face and continued, a smug tone now evident in his voice. "Good luck figuring out who it was. Something tells me you're going to need it."

* * *

Castle and Beckett quietly closed the interrogation room door and headed into the break room.

"Do you believe him?" Castle asked her.

Beckett shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure yet." She began to make two cups of coffee for them as she continued. "We'll head over to the store again today and talk to Mr. Brooks, see if he can shed any light on a possible suspect."

Lanie entered the room and made her way over to the pair. "Any leads yet?"

Castle and Beckett both watched her, puzzled.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, Lanie, but what are you doing up here?" Beckett asked, a light tone to her voice.

Lanie looked back at her friend and laughed. "Girl, you guys have the espresso machine up here." She glared at Castle as she continued. "And I'm still waiting for mine down in the morgue." She winked at the writer to make sure he knew she was kidding.

Castle grinned. Before he could respond with his own witty remark, Esposito walked by and poked his head into the room.

"Hey, thanks again for lunch, Lanie." He said and left as quickly as he could.

Lanie stood, frozen for a minute as she could feel Beckett and Castle's questioning stares focused on her.

"Lunch with Esposito, huh?" Beckett asked, accusingly.

Lanie laughed, attempting to brush off the question. "Just a simple lunch between two co-workers who happened to be free and hungry at the same time." She paused as she looked at the pair in front of her, still smirking in their discovery. "Like you two have never shared a meal together?" She asked, now accusingly herself.

Castle and Beckett exchanged an awkward glance. At the same time, they both responded. "Just once." They smirked at their own synchronicity.

Lanie grinned at the pair. "The way you two do that, you really should go out more often…" She trailed her words, raising her eyebrow with a suggestive tone, causing Beckett to blush and roll her eyes while Castle smiled proudly.

Lanie began to head out of the room and Castle called out to stop her in the doorway. "My dear, Ms. Parish…" he chimed, pointing upwards.

Lanie laughed when she saw the mistletoe. "You're a sly one, Castle, I'll give you that." She joked as she motioned for him to come towards her and get his reward.

"Don't encourage him, Lanie." Beckett chirped, rolling her eyes as Castle winked at her.

Lanie brushed off her friend's comment. "Relax, girl, it's a holiday tradition."

Castle turned to Beckett, triumphant. "Yes, a truly timeless tradition, detective."

Beckett shook her head but had to fight to hold back her smile. Lanie rose up on the balls of her feet and gave Castle a friendly peck on the lips. "See you both later." She said as spun to leave the room.

"See, now is that so difficult?" Castle joked.

Beckett raised her voice as she looked out towards the bullpen at her friend. "I don't know, Castle, you might want to watch your back. Esposito might just hunt you down for that little show." She smirked as she watched Lanie spin back around.

"I heard that!" Lanie shouted at her, laughing at the same time.

Beckett smirked. "Well, I said it out loud…" She shouted back, the sarcasm dripping in her tone.

Castle laughed as he watched Lanie wave her hand to brush Beckett's comments off and continued her exit.

"Alright, Castle, we should get back to work." Beckett said, gesturing for him to walk out of the room first so she could avoid the mistletoe.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Castle and Beckett made their way through the empty store, Beckett flashing her badge at the uniformed officers guarding the entrance from the press and curious passersby.

"So, Lanie and Esposito, huh?" Castle remarked, breaking the silence between them as they walked.

Beckett laughed. "Yeah, seems like it." She paused, smiling as she continued. "It makes sense, though, doesn't it?"

Castle looked at her and pondered her question. "Why is that?"

"Two people working together for years. The jokes, the suggestive comments, the bonds they form. Eventually it's bound to lead somewhere else." Beckett remarked, not realizing the full extent of what she was saying or how Castle may have taken it.

"My my, Beckett." He grinned. "Are you saying you actually do believe in fate?"

Beckett smirked back at him. "I don't deny that it's possible." She paused. "In some cases."

Castle laughed. "Careful there, detective. Don't tell me you've finally gone soft."

"Come on, Castle." She replied. "You're the storyteller. Isn't this the epitome of a love story?" She smiled as she explained. "Star-crossed lovers, friends, partners, eventually realizing that what they've been looking for has been right in front of them all along?"

Castle nodded, smiling. "That it is, detective." He stopped in his tracks suddenly. "Except…" His voice trailed off, deep in thought.

Beckett turned to look at him, a puzzled look flashing across his face. Her brow furrowed as she tried to read his expression. "What?"

"Well, they're not partners." He stated, still thinking about what she had said.

Beckett immediately turned her gaze away from him, stammering for a response. "Yeah, you're right, I just meant that they work together." With that, she turned and continued through the store to the employees-only area.

Castle watched her for a brief moment, still puzzled, before he followed her.

* * *

Beckett walked through the open doorway of the back office, Castle following a few paces behind her.

Tyler rose from his chair to greet them both.

"I'm sorry for making you come all this way, detective, it's just that I still have a lot of work to do, even if the store is closed." Tyler apologized as he shook Beckett's hand and motioned for her to sit down across the desk from him.

Beckett and Castle both took their seats and settled in for a discussion with the store manager.

"Well, thank you for seeing us, Mr. Brooks." Beckett replied. "Our CSU team is just wrapping up their sweep of the scene, so you should be able to reopen the store tomorrow morning."

Tyler breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, detective, I appreciate that." He shifted his papers around on his desk to give himself more space. "Now, how can I help?"

"We've spoken to some of your employees and to Ms. Carter and I was hoping you could shed some light on the issues between Mr. McKay and his ex-wife." Beckett replied.

Tyler took a deep breath. "Yes, that was a rather troubling situation." He began. "Peter and Sydney had a bit of a shouting match one afternoon and Sydney was rather upset about it. She demanded that I terminate Peter's employment and threatened to take her business elsewhere if I didn't obey her."

"And you refused?" Castle asked. "She was one of your best customers, surely that made it difficult."

Tyler nodded. "Of course. But I simply couldn't put Peter out of work at this time of the year, it just wasn't right. I assumed Sydney was upset and would see the light when she had a chance to calm down and assess the situation."

Beckett watched the man in front of her as she spoke. "According to Ms. Carter, you informed her that Peter had a problem with alcohol and were planning on using that as grounds to fire him when he eventually got caught. Is that true?"

"Well, that is what I told her." Tyler smirked. "But there was no truth to it." He watched as Castle and Beckett exchanged a puzzled look. "Peter was actually a model employee."

"So why make up a rumour otherwise?" Castle asked.

Tyler sucked in a breath. "Like you said, Mr. Castle, Sydney was one of our best customers. Sometimes you just have to tell people like her what they need to hear." He paused before continuing. "I simply insinuated that I was trying to cover my bases and have a more legitimate reason for terminating Peter so he couldn't sue me for wrongful dismissal."

"And you're certain she believed you?" Beckett asked.

Tyler grinned. "She relayed that information to you, did she not?"

Castle nodded in appreciation. "Well played, Mr. Brooks."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Why not just do what was best for your store and make your customer happy?" She asked.

"I didn't see the logic in that, detective. I felt badly for Ally and Jason because they would surely lose on their commissions in Sydney's absence, but Peter was about to have his career back on track and would be leaving after the holiday season anyway." He paused as he continued. "I didn't see the need to let him go. Like I said, he was a model employee."

Beckett studied the man in front of her as someone else entered the room behind them. They spun around to see a rather attractive woman, dressed nicely in office attire, standing in the doorway. She seemed rather surprised to see the duo.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." She stated.

Tyler rose from his chair and motioned towards her. "Detective, I'm sorry for the intrusion. This is Claire Martin, our resident Mrs. Claus and a devoted office employee here, somewhat of my assistant manager, to be exact."

Beckett and Castle both rose to shake Claire's hand.

"Claire, this is Detective Kate Beckett." Tyler stated.

"Yes, and this is…" Beckett began, cut off quickly by Claire's gushing outburst.

"Richard Castle!" Claire exclaimed, extending her hand to him and shaking it vigorously. "I'm a huge fan of yours, Mr. Castle."

"Please, call me Rick." Castle replied as Beckett rolled her eyes.

Tyler interrupted the impromptu meet-and-greet, clearing his throat before he spoke. "Was there anything else you needed from me, detective? If not, as you can see, I have some matters to attend to."

Beckett shook her head. "No, I think that's all we needed at the moment, Mr. Brooks. Thank you for your time."

Beckett turned to leave, noticing Claire still gushing over Castle. "Come on, _Rick_, it's time to go." She said, sarcastically emphasizing his name as she gently pushed him towards the door.

* * *

Castle and Beckett quietly sat on the edge of Beckett's desk, studying the murder board in the dim, coloured lighting of the holiday-themed bullpen.

They sat in silence for a moment before Beckett spoke. "What are you thinking?"

Castle pondered for a second before replying. "Well, I'm wondering if Ally or Jason may have blamed Peter for their lost commissions. If he hadn't gotten into that argument, they'd both have much more money coming in for the holidays."

Beckett nodded. "Sure, it's a good theory." Her comment elicited a small smile from Castle. "So maybe one of them decided to take Peter out of the equation, get Sydney back in the store again."

"Could be." Castle agreed. "I mean, their commissions from her sales weren't exactly petty cash."

Ryan and Esposito interrupted as they sauntered up to Beckett's desk.

"You may be on to something, bro." Esposito stated.

Ryan nodded. "Turns out Jason was in pretty deep. Gambling habit got a little out of control a while back and he owed a lot of money."

"And then, just a week ago…" Esposito added, pausing for effect. "It was magically all paid off."

Beckett and Castle looked at each other and grinned. "Great job, you two." Beckett replied. "For now, just go home and get some sleep. I'll need you two to keep looking into the financials tomorrow, see if you can dig up where that money came from."

Ryan and Esposito nodded and excused themselves to head home for the night while Beckett turned and moved Jason's picture to the suspect area of the murder board.

"Tomorrow morning we'll head back to the store and see what we can get out of Mr. Samuels." Beckett stated.

Castle grabbed his coat from the chair. "Are you heading home, detective?"

Beckett nodded. "Yeah, it's been a long day."

"Well, a little fresh air might help." Castle added, smiling. "Can I walk you home?"

Beckett thought for a brief moment before answering. "Sure, the fresh air really would be nice right now."

"And the company?" Castle prodded, winking at her.

Beckett laughed. "We'll see."

They gathered their belongings and headed out into the fresh winter night.

* * *

_**You know what this means… a pure Castle and Beckett chapter up next ;-)**_

_**Those are always my favourites to write! And if you enjoy that, just wait until the closing chapters of the story ;-) ;-) Yes, that was a double wink...  
**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Just a little Castle/Beckett chapter here… I always love writing these scenes the most, so I hope you enjoy it. There's a little bit of vital business to take care of here, so I hope it doesn't take away from the magic of the moment, but there will be another important Castle/Beckett chapter coming up in just two more…**_

Chapter Eight

Christmas in New York was a magical sight. Despite her growing up with it, the beauty was never lost on Beckett. She took it in as she and Castle walked through the fresh snow and the crisp air towards her apartment. Castle watched in awe as she seemed to absorb the sights and sounds.

"It never gets old, does it?" He asked, smiling at the woman beside him.

Beckett looked over at him and grinned. "No, it really doesn't." She replied, a content tone to her voice.

They walked in silence for a few more minutes before Castle spoke again. "I know you're not a fan of the holiday anymore, but are you doing anything at all for Christmas?"

Beckett nodded, looking down at the ground. "Josh and I are having an early Christmas Eve dinner before he heads out that night to visit his family."

"You aren't going with him?" Castle asked, cautiously.

Beckett shook her head, wincing slightly at the thought. "He asked me to." She admitted, not sure if she should continue.

Castle looked at her, puzzled. "But?" He trailed off, prodding her.

"But…" Beckett mocked him, drawing our her answer. "I don't know, I just thought it was a little too soon to meet his family."

Castle laughed. "You've been dating for four months!" His reply earned him a sideways glare from Beckett and he quickly stammered a response. "But if you think it's too soon, that's perfectly understandable." He forced an apologetic smile.

Beckett smirked at his obvious discomfort and thought for a moment before she continued. "Look, Castle, Josh is a great guy and I'm sure his family is wonderful too. It's just that I'm not sure I'm comfortable spending the holidays with them at this point." She paused, turning her gaze back to the ground. "Especially not when I'm not exactly myself this time of the year."

Trying to relieve the tension, Castle opted for a lighthearted jab. "I don't know about that, detective. Brooding, moody, cynical… sounds just like your everyday self."

Beckett glared at him again and gave him a playful shove, though she couldn't hold back her laugh either.

Castle looked back at her. "Seriously, though, it's perfectly understandable." This earned him Beckett's immediate attention. "Joining another person's family for the holidays for the first time is not an easy thing."

Beckett nodded, a barely noticeable twinkle in her eyes as she silently appreciated his support. She swallowed back the small lump in her throat and turned her attention back to the snowy ground before she spoke. "I'm just not sure I'm ready for that step with him."

Castle continued to study her expression, feeling an odd sense of sadness from her that he couldn't quite figure out.

Beckett composed herself and looked back over at him. "So what about you? I'd imagine you have an elaborate holiday celebration planned with your family."

Castle shook his head. "Usually. But Gina wanted us to go to this fancy dinner party for Christmas Eve, and I just couldn't say no."

Beckett saw the regret written all over his face and tried to find the silver lining for him. "That sounds like a nice evening for the two of you."

Castle nodded. "You're probably right." He paused before continuing. "It's just that Christmas has always been about family for me. And now, with this being Alexis' first one without Meredith, I just feel terrible for leaving her and my mother alone."

Beckett gave Castle a sympathetic pat on the arm. "So spend Christmas Eve with Gina at the party and then Christmas Day together as a family."

"That's the thing." Castle replied. "I tried to ask Gina to stay at the loft so we can all be together for Christmas morning and spend the day together, but she doesn't seem that interested. Which is funny because she says I don't let her into that part of my life enough, but when I do she's still got reservations about it. My family is the most important thing to me and I'm starting to wonder if Gina will ever really be comfortable being a part of that."

"Give her time." Beckett replied. "She'll come around." Noticing that Castle still seemed to be hurting from his thoughts, she smiled and continued. "All of you Castles have a way of winning people over soon enough."

Castle laughed, finally broken from his melancholy. "We do, don't we?" He asked, winking at her playfully.

As they approached the lobby of her building, Beckett turned to Castle. "Thank you for walking me home."

Castle smiled. "Anytime, detective."

Beckett smiled at him. "See you tomorrow?"

Castle nodded. "See you tomorrow."

With that, Beckett turned and entered the building, Castle watching until she was out of sight.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Castle and Beckett once again made their way through the Macy's store. Even though it had just opened back up, there didn't seem to be too many people in the store just yet.

They walked in silence as they made their way to the back of the store, looking for Jason's department. The quiet was broken by a high-pitched squeal. The two immediately looked up and saw an elf running towards them.

"That's something you don't see everyday." Beckett joked.

Castle shook his head. "I'm pretty sure I've had nightmares that started off like this."

Beckett laughed, looking at him quizzically. Castle turned to look back at her, a serious expression on his face. "Elves are scary."

The elf reached them and immediately grabbed for Castle's hand. "Rick Castle!" She exclaimed. "Rachel Mack. I'm your biggest fan!"

Castle smiled at the young woman in front of him. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Rachel." He motioned towards Beckett. "This is…"

"Detective Kate Beckett." Rachel chimed in. "Of course I know who this is! Wow, I can't believe this. Rick Castle and his muse. The inspiration for his greatest character. And _quite_ the inspiration from what I've read." She winked at the pair.

Castle chuckled while Beckett shot him a disapproving glare.

"Mr. Castle…. Can I call you Rick?…" Rachel didn't wait for a response. "Rick, I just wanted to tell you, I've read all of your books. I even waited in line at one of your signings for over an hour just to meet you!" With that, she looked over at Beckett. "I know, it's crazy, right?" Beckett's cheeks flushed. "I'm a mystery writer too, you know."

"Interesting choice of costume for a writer…" Beckett chimed in, sarcastically.

Rachel laughed. "I know, right? I'm actually just working here to gain some insight. You know, do some research for my current novel. The inner workings of a department store at Christmas, the height of the retail year. The drama, the intrigue, the secrets, the backstabbing. Santa kicks the bucket. Lots of suspects to pick from."

Castle nodded. "I like it."

Rachel smiled at his approval. "Yeah, it's just a little too real now, I suppose. Life imitating art and all." She paused. "But as you always say, 'write what you know'… I've lived by that mantra, thanks to you."

"Well, it's always nice to hear that." Castle smiled.

Rachel, now at least somewhat calm, looked around before she spoke again. "Listen, I've been observing these people for months now. Watching, listening, spying sometimes." She laughed. "I know everything there is to know about everyone here. Anything you need to know, anything I can do to help in your investigation, it would be an absolute honour."

Beckett nodded. "Thanks, Rachel, we appreciate that." She paused for only a moment. "What can you tell us about Jason Samuels?"

Rachel smirked, happy to be helping. "Jason's a decent guy. Great salesman. Kind of jumpy, though." She glanced around to make sure nobody could hear them. "He got in pretty deep into debt. Gambling habit gone wrong, as it usually does." Castle nodded in agreement, eliciting another smile from Rachel. "Suddenly, just a few days ago, it was all magically paid off. I haven't figured out how he did it yet, but I'm sure there was something shady behind it."

"What makes you think that?" Beckett pressed.

"Rachel!" Before she could answer, the trio was joined by a handsome young man wearing an unfortunate reindeer costume. Beckett and Castle exchanged an amused look as Rachel introduced them.

"Paul, this is Rick Castle and Detective Beckett. They're here to solve Pete's murder." Rachel stated proudly. Paul shook hands with Castle and Beckett as Rachel continued. "And this is Paul Dasher, our resident reindeer by day and fabulous dancer by night."

Paul blushed. "Come on, Rachel, they need us to get started. There's already a huge line-up waiting to see Santa." He rolled his eyes. "It was nice to meet you both."

Castle and Beckett chuckled as Paul pulled Rachel away, rather unwillingly. She turned and waved at them before following Paul and ushering the first waiting child over to see Santa.

"Well, that was odd." Castle remarked.

Beckett laughed. "Come on, Castle, you should be used to your adoring fans by now."

"No, not that." Castle replied. "Paul."

Beckett turned and looked at Castle, her brow furrowed. "What about him?"

"Paul Dasher?… Dasher is a dancer?…" He paused, waiting for Beckett to catch on. Her puzzled look told him she wasn't going to. "Come on, Beckett. Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen? Santa's reindeer? The guy's _playing_ a reindeer?… Really?"

Beckett smirked and shook her head. "Well, when we're done questioning him because of his name, we can go question his friends too. You know, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen…"

"Actually, that's _Donder_ and Blitzen." He corrected her, earning him a sharp glare. "If you really want to be accurate, it was originally _Dunder _and _Blixem_, the Dutch words for thunder and lightening. It was changed to Donder and Blitzen in 'Twas The Night Before Christmas. It eventually became Donner and Blitzen when they wrote the song, I suppose it sounded more musical that way…" He trailed off when he realized Beckett had walked away. He pouted. "Which you clearly don't care about…" He looked around. "And now I'm talking to myself." He shook his head, found Beckett in the crowd, and bounded off towards her.

* * *

Castle joined Beckett in the shoe department where they tracked down Jason.

"Mr. Samuels?" Beckett asked, flashing her badge as she introduced herself. "I'm Detective Kate Beckett. This is Richard Castle. We need a few minutes of your time."

Jason nodded and motioned for them to follow him to the storage area where they could speak privately. He seemed rather skittish as they questioned him.

"I understand you got yourself into some trouble a while back, Jason." Beckett began.

"Yes ma'am." Jason replied, nodding.

Castle picked up where Beckett left off. "You got yourself in pretty deep."

Jason nodded again. "I'm not proud of it, but yes, I did."

"Just a few days ago, Jason, all of your debts were paid off." Beckett added. "How did you manage that?"

Jason swallowed. "A friend loaned me the money."

"And who was this friend, Jason?" Castle asked.

Jason's eyes darted from the detective to the writer and back again.

Beckett made a conscious effort to soften her tone. "Jason, we just need to know who paid off your debts. If you haven't done anything wrong, the truth will help you here. If not, you're silence is going to make you look guilty."

The young man's eyes widened and he broke. "It was Ms. Carter. She paid them off."

Beckett and Castle exchanged a surprised look.

"Sydney Carter? Peter's ex-wife?" Castle asked.

Jason nodded. "Yes sir."

"And why would she do that?" Beckett asked, intrigued by the new information.

"I'm not entirely sure." Jason shrugged. "I guess she felt badly, that she blamed herself for the commissions I lost. Money that could have stopped me from falling into debt in the first place."

It would have been a reasonable explanation if Jason had a better poker face. Unfortunately for him, Beckett read him like a book.

"Jason, I'm going to ask you one more time and I want the truth. Why did Ms. Carter _really_ pay off your debts?" She asked. "What did she want in return?"

The detective focused her eyes on Jason, as if silently convincing him to fess up. "She paid me off to spike Peter's drink." He cracked, tears bursting from his eyes.

"She wanted you to spike Peter's drink?" Castle asked. "With what?"

Jason's watery eyes widened in fear. "It was just vodka, I swear!" He exclaimed. "Tyler had told her that Peter had a drinking problem. He told her that if there were any signs that Peter had been drinking on the job, he would fire him on the spot."

Beckett nodded. "So she paid you to make sure that happened?"

"Yes ma'am." Jason sobbed. "I knew Ally always prepared Peter's morning coffee. He always said she was the only one who could make it just the way he liked it. So I waited for her to make it that morning and I got Sydney to distract her. Just for a minute. Just long enough for me to spike it."

"And you're sure it was just vodka?" Beckett asked.

Jason nodded. "I bought it at the store that morning. Never been opened." He started to sob again. "I'm sorry, I really am. But I swear I didn't kill him."

"Thank you, Jason." Beckett nodded at Castle and they got up to leave.

* * *

"Another day and no new leads." Beckett said, frustrated as she and Castle studied the murder board at the end of an unproductive day.

Castle shared her frustration. "What did Esposito say when he called?"

"Just that he and Ryan ran the financials of the store and found out that they had been losing money for a couple of months now." Beckett stated.

"No wonder Tyler was so adamant about not shutting the store down for too long." Castle remarked.

Beckett nodded. "Yeah, if he couldn't finish the year with positive numbers, his job may have been at risk."

They sat in silence for a few minutes longer, just thinking to themselves.

"You know, I was wondering…." Castle began. Beckett looked over at him, quizzically. "What if we were right about the commissions angle?"

Beckett nodded. "You're thinking maybe it was Ally?"

"Maybe." Castle stated. "She would have lost a lot of money because of Peter and Sydney's fight, maybe she was mad enough about that to kill."

Beckett thought about it. "And she did make his coffee in the morning. She could have poisoned it herself, easily, in fact."

Castle nodded. "Back to the store in the morning?" He joked.

Beckett laughed. "Third time's a charm, right?"

"Let's call it a night, detective. Hopefully we'll break this one tomorrow." Castle said, his eyes sparkling under the dim Christmas lights. He gathered Beckett's coat and held it out for her, silently asking her to join him.

Beckett nodded and smiled, taking her coat and heading into the night with Castle once again.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The night air was cold yet refreshing at the same time. Castle and Beckett walked, step in step, as they made their way down the snowy sidewalk.

Beckett laughed. "So, Castle, another case, another fan?"

"Seems that way." Castle smirked. "Some people just have exceptional taste."

Beckett smiled as she thought about Rachel's excitement over meeting Castle. "Doesn't it ever get old, though? Being recognized everywhere you go, having fans gawking over you?"

Castle looked at her, a whimsical spark in his eyes. "Not at all." When Beckett looked back at him with a surprised look on her face, he explained. "I've had some really great opportunities because of my success. I can provide my family with a stable life, I've gotten to travel the world, meet people I never would have had the chance to meet, and I've been able to realize my dreams, all because of my fans and their loyalty. I don't take any of that for granted, detective." Beckett smiled in response as he continued. "Plus, we wouldn't be here right now if it weren't for them." Castle's eyes sparkled in the moonlight as he looked back at her. "I wouldn't trade that for anything."

Beckett nodded, breaking her gaze away before she spoke. "Still, it must be just a little weird, knowing that you can change someone's life without even knowing them."

Castle didn't hesitate before answering. "But that's the best part." Beckett turned and looked at him, surprised by his remark. "Knowing that my work, my words, can affect someone that much and do some good for them in their lives…" He trailed off for just a moment. "That's a feeling like no other." He nudged the woman beside him ever so slightly as he continued. "I would think you could relate to that, detective."

Beckett froze as he spoke those words, her brow furrowing immediately as she broke away from his gaze. _Who told him?_ She wondered. Had Lanie given away her secret?

Castle watched, confused, as he studied her puzzled look. "Come on, Beckett, you help people everyday. Change lives, give people closure. You must know how much good you do for them."

Beckett let out a sigh of relief and forced a smile to hide it. She stumbled on her words, still shaken by what she had been thinking just moments earlier. "Yeah, I… you're right, it does feel good."

Castle continued to study her as they walked silently for a few minutes. As they approached her building, he finally had to ask. "What did you think I meant?"

Beckett laughed nervously, her eyes doing everything they could to avoid his. "Nothing. I must have misunderstood what you had said." She motioned towards the building beside them as she put one foot up on the stairs. "I should get going. I'll see you in the morning."

Before she could turn to leave, Castle reached out his hand instinctively and took a gentle hold of her arm. Beckett stopped, her eyes still averted.

"Kate…" Hearing him use her name caught her attention. "What did I say? I'm sorry if it upset you, but please tell me what I said wrong, what I did to make you so rattled?"

Beckett couldn't help but look up into his eyes, seeing the concern and the self-loathing in the depths of his blues. She couldn't stand letting him feel like he had done something wrong. She gave in and sat on the step beside her, gently pulling him to follow.

Castle quietly sat next to her, the concern still coursing through him as he stared at her intently.

Beckett took a deep breath, composing herself before she spoke, her eyes focused squarely on the snowy ground. "After my mother died… after she was murdered… nobody could give me any answers. I needed to know how something like this could happen. How someone could take her life away, take her away from me and my father. How one single moment could alter someone's entire universe, and how someone could knowingly do that to another human being." She swallowed the lump in her throat and clenched her jaw slightly as she willed herself to continue, feeling Castle's eyes focused on her. "I started reading one of your books and it was incredible. Like all of the answers to my questions existed in those pages, in those words. Reading them didn't take away the pain… it didn't bring my mother back… but it kept me focused on what I needed to do with my life, how I needed to move on and not let the pain win." She paused again to take a breath. "They reminded me that I wasn't the only one who had ever had someone I cared about taken away from me. That I wasn't the only one lost without answers. Without closure. And they reminded me that I could change that, at least for those other people out there." She fidgeted with her hands, gathering up all the courage she had to finish her thoughts. "Those answers, those reminders, that focus that your words gave me… it saved me, Castle. So yes, I can understand how you could change someone's life without even knowing them because… your books, your words… they changed my life."

They sat in silence, the few seconds feeling like hours. Beckett finally drew up the courage to glance over at the man beside her. Castle sat, stunned and speechless. She could see him trying to process all that she had said, trying to form a sentence in response. She watched him struggle, only being able to puff out a raspy "wow" and stumble over a few incoherent words instead.

Beckett grinned and nodded to herself. She got up from the cold steps and patted Castle's shoulder. "You've clearly run out of words for today, so on that note…" She turned and opened up the doors to the lobby. "Goodnight, Castle."

With that, she entered the building, turning just once to look back at him. The sight of him still sitting there, motionless, elicited a small chuckle from her. She shook her head and got into the elevator.

Castle's wits finally returned and he spun around, hoping she hadn't gotten far. He scanned the lobby to no avail, shaking his head in disappointment.

"Goodnight." He whispered into the night air.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Well, I ended Chapter Ten a little differently from where I had intended to. I definitely wasn't going to go there originally, but I couldn't resist! I hope it was an enjoyable scene to read.**_

_**This one is a lengthy one, lots of case-related scenes to get through here. But we're in the homestretch, so just hang on… there's plenty more Castle/Beckett moments coming up!**_

Chapter Eleven

Beckett arrived at the entrance of Macy's and quickly scoured the crowd for Castle. She lowered her head when she failed to find him, wondering if his sudden decision to meet her there instead of her picking him up, a routine they had maintained since he had reinstated himself as her partner that fall, had anything to do with her honesty the night before.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, detective." A familiar voice drew her out of her thoughts.

Beckett looked up, her eyes warming and a slight smile forming in the corners of her mouth. "Castle. You made it."

Castle winced. "Of course I did."

Beckett immediately wished she could take back her surprised comment. "I got your message this morning. I thought you were bailing on me."

Castle laughed. "I just had some things to take care of this morning, that's all."

They shared a momentary gaze in the crisp morning air before Castle motioned for Beckett to step inside.

They entered the store, a bustling center of activity once again, and made their way through the crowd of shoppers to the SantaLand area in the rear of the store.

They walked in silence until Castle cleared his throat and tentatively spoke. "Listen, Beckett, about what you said last night…"

"Rick! Kate!" The voice tore through the crowd and interrupted Castle's speech.

"Good morning, Rachel." Beckett replied to the eager young woman.

Rachel smiled. "Any leads?"

"Active investigation…" Castle answered.

"I understand." Rachel smirked. "Can I help in any way?"

Beckett nodded. "Where can we find Ally Shultz?"

"Back this way." Rachel replied, motioning for them to follow her.

The trio made their way through the store.

Rachel pointed towards a well-dressed blonde who was fixing the high-end clothing display. "That's Ally over there."

"Thank you, Rachel." Castle smiled at the young woman.

Rachel beamed. "Anytime." She bounded off, back to work.

Castle and Beckett approached the young blonde. "Ms. Shultz?" Beckett asked.

"Yes." Ally replied. "You must be Detective Beckett."

Beckett nodded. "And this is Richard Castle."

"It's nice to meet you both. And thank you for what you're doing." Ally's voice was laced with sadness. "Peter was a good man, he deserves justice."

"Were the two of you close?" Castle asked.

Ally shook her head. "Not really. But he always treated me well."

Beckett studied the young woman. "Tell me, Ms. Shultz, did it upset you that Mr. McKay's argument with Ms. Carter caused you to lose your commissions from her?"

Ally laughed. "With all due respect, detective, I didn't need the money." She smiled. "And it was well worth it to see that socialite get knocked down a few pegs."

Castle smirked. "Not a fan of your best customer?"

Ally raised an eyebrow as she replied. "Don't get me wrong, Sydney was good for my pocketbook, but she was also a lot to deal with."

Beckett nodded. "And Mr. McKay?"

"Like I said, detective, he was a good man." Ally answered. "I'll miss him."

Castle looked over at Beckett. "I hate to ask this, but is it true that you prepared his morning coffee for him the day he died?"

Ally turned her eyes to the ground. "Yes, every morning in fact." A sad smile spread across her face. "He always told me I was the only one who could make it taste just perfect."

Beckett studied Ally's expression as she pressed further. "Ms. Shultz, I'm sure you're aware that Mr. McKay was poisoned. Someone put a lethal does of cyanide in the coffee that you made for him that morning." Ally nodded solemnly. "I need you to tell us everything that you remember about that morning, Ally. Anything that could help us determine how the poison got into his coffee."

Ally took a deep breath, trying to remember every detail that she could. "It was just like every morning." She began. "I brewed a fresh pot of coffee, prepared it just the way Peter liked it. Before I could bring it out to him, Jason came back and told me that Sydney needed my help for a few minutes. So I went to help her and returned as quickly as I could." Ally's voice wavered. "The coffee was still hot when I got back, that's how little time had passed. I brought the coffee out to Peter and then headed back to Sydney to see if she needed further assistance."

Beckett nodded. "I'm sorry, Ally, but I do have to ask…"

Ally winced. "I know what you're going to say, detective." She composed herself. "Yes, I made his coffee for him. But no, I didn't put anything in his coffee to poison him. I had no reason to want to harm him." She raised her eyebrow. "In fact, I rather liked having Peter around. He had been a thorn in Mr. Brooks' side for a few months now, and I enjoyed seeing my boss get exactly what he deserved."

"What do you mean?" Castle prodded.

Ally's expression turned serious. "I've worked for that man for years, Mr. Castle. I gave him more than anyone can be expected to give to their job. I was working my way up to be his assistant manager. For a while, he was even giving me some of those responsibilities to prepare myself."

"Like what?" Beckett asked.

"Doing the banking, locking up at night if I was here late, or getting everything prepared in the morning if I was doing the early shift. Even some of the bookkeeping." Ally replied.

When she paused, Castle pressed her to continue. "So what happened?"

Ally winced at the memory. "About two months ago or so, Mr. Brooks started getting Claire to do all of those things instead. He even took my store keys and gave them to her." She paused before explaining further. "He said he thought I would be far too busy with the Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping seasons and he didn't want me to be overworked, but I never bought that excuse."

"Well, we know the store was having financial troubles for a few months now. Could it have been a concern about paying you for the extra work?" Castle asked.

Ally looked between Castle and Beckett, puzzled by the question. "The store wasn't having financial troubles." She said, matter-of-factly. "In fact, business has been booming all year. There's no way they're having trouble with their finances."

"Are you sure about that, Ms. Shultz?" Beckett questioned.

Ally laughed. "I did the bookkeeping and banking on and off for the better part of this year, detective. We were always making a rather sizable profit." She explained further. "And sales have definitely been up through the holidays." She paused, shaking her head at the pair in front of her. "You must have gotten your information wrong."

* * *

"The information's not wrong!" Esposito replied. "No way."

"He's right." Ryan chimed in, holding up a folder for Beckett to look over. "In fact, we started doing some more digging…" He trailed off for effect.

The pair stood around Beckett's desk while she and Castle sat in their usual chairs back at the precinct. Beckett looked over the information in the folder that Ryan had handed her. She grinned as she looked up, tossing the file over towards Castle.

"While the store was losing money, Tyler's bank account was growing more steadily." Castle remarked.

Esposito nodded. "Exactly. And much more than his normal pay alone."

"Cash deposits were made once a week until about a month and a half ago, when they just stopped completely." Ryan added.

A spark ignited in Castle's eyes. Beckett noticed and waited for him to reveal his insights.

"Can you run the victim's financials too? Just around that same time." He asked.

Ryan and Esposito nodded and quickly moved over to their own desks to make the necessary calls.

"What are you thinking?" Beckett asked.

Castle smirked. "I think our dear Mr. Brooks was embezzling money from the company. Our vic found out about it, maybe stumbled upon the books one night, and confronted him about it. So Tyler starts paying Peter off in exchange for his silence."

Beckett nodded. "That's why he refused to fire Peter when Sydney was pressuring him. He knew Peter would ruin his career in return."

Esposito hung up the phone at his desk and called out to them. "Yo, check it out, about a month and a half ago, cash deposits started being made into our vic's account."

Castle smirked. "Let me guess, the same amount as the ones that had been going into Tyler's account?"

Esposito nodded. "You got it, bro."

"Let's bring Mr. Brooks in for questioning." Beckett said to Esposito and Ryan.

Castle grinned as Ryan and Esposito made their way out of the bullpen. "It looks Mr. Scrooge is about to be visited by the ghost of Christmas past…"

Beckett rolled her eyes and got up to head to the break room.

Castle watched her, defeated. "Too much?"

* * *

Beckett started intently at Tyler as he fidgeted in his seat, obviously thrown off by her demeanor.

"Do you mind if I ask…." Tyler said, tentatively. "Why am I here?"

Castle watched Beckett, waiting for her quiet, calm shell to break.

To his surprise, she didn't say a word. She casually pushed the folder that was set under her folded hands across to Tyler and nodded at it for him top open it, never taking her eyes away from his.

Tyler took a breath and opened the folder. He ran a hand through his hair. "I can explain…" He stammered.

Again, Beckett didn't say a word, she just kept her icy gaze focused on him.

"It's true." Tyler continued. "I was stealing money from the company. Peter found out about it and I was forced to pay for his silence." He looked at Beckett, alarmed by her focused stare. He flashed his eyes over towards Castle, as if asking him to step in. Castle just shrugged, knowing better than to disrupt whatever game Beckett had going here. Tyler took a deep breath and continued. "Look, I couldn't risk losing my job, but I swear I didn't kill Peter. I didn't have to. He would be leaving after the holidays anyway and I wouldn't have to pay him much longer." He looked between the writer and the detective one more time before he spoke again. "I have proof of my innocence, detective. I was in my office the entire morning. You can check the security footage."

Beckett calmly pulled the folder back towards her, picked it up, and rose quietly from her seat, all the while maintaining her icy eye contact with Tyler. He exhaled a deep sigh of relief when she exited the room.

"Lucky." Castle muttered at Tyler, getting up to follow Beckett. He smiled as he left the room, joining the detective in the hallway.

"That was awesome…" He said, completely in awe. "And it's so going in the next book."

Beckett smirked at him as she headed back into the bullpen.

* * *

"It wasn't him." Ryan broke the news to Castle and Beckett.

Esposito nodded. "The tapes cleared him. He was in the office all morning, just like he said."

"So we're back at square one again." Beckett lamented.

Ryan grinned. "Not exactly." He and Esposito shared a knowing look.

"Check it out." Esposito motioned for Castle and Beckett to follow them back to their desks where they had the security tapes running on their computers. "At first, we didn't bother with the footage because the coffee area is in the employee locker room and there aren't any cameras back there."

"But when we went back to watch them to check out Mr. Brooks' alibi, we noticed something odd…" Ryan added, pointing to the screen.

Castle and Beckett watch the footage, with Ryan and Esposito grinning behind them. The video shows the moments just after Peter dropped to the floor. Most of the other employees had run over to where Peter lay, while Ally ran off to the customer service desk to call 9-1-1. They noticed someone else leaving the main department, though.

"Is that?…." Beckett asked.

"Rachel!" Castle exclaimed. "She's running back to the locker room."

They watched as the elf returned a few second later with a handful of sugar packages and ran up to the crowd. She shoves them back into her pockets after one of the other employees motions that Peter is dead.

"Wait, is that sugar?" Beckett asked. "That doesn't make any sense. Why would she run off to grab sugar?"

That spark ignited in Castle's eyes again. "She knew he was poisoned." Beckett looked at him, confused, prompting him to continue. "Sugar is a natural antidote for cyanide."

"So she would have had to know that he was poisoned with it." Beckett finished for him.

Castle nodded, grinning from ear to ear. Quickly, though, his grin faded. "But if she was the one that poisoned him, why would she go back to get the sugar to save him?"

Beckett smirks. "Let's go find out."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Rachel hung her head in shame.

"How did you know?" Beckett pressed.

Rachel took a deep breath and looked around the empty locker room. "I overheard Peter say that his coffee smelled like almonds just before he took a sip." She paused, recalling the horror of that day. "It all happened so fast. Before I knew it, he had dropped to the ground. I put two and two together and rushed off to get the sugar." She took her elf hat off and smoothed her hair. "By the time I got back, he was already dead."

Castle and Beckett looked at one another. "You obviously know a lot about that particular poison." Castle remarked.

Rachel nodded. "I had been doing research on it for my book."

Beckett watched the woman's eyes shift. "What aren't you telling us, Rachel?"

"It was mine." Rachel admitted, sheepishly.

Beckett clenched her jaw, giving Castle the chance to speak first. "You had it here? In the store?"

Rachel nodded. "I know it was wrong, but I spend most of my day here. I went out early one morning and got my hands on a small vile of it before I came into work. I wanted to take a look at it. The smell, the colour, figure out how it would realistically be used. I didn't have time to bring it home, so I left it in my locker." She paused. "With the craziness of the holidays, I guess I forgot about it and left it here overnight. When I came in the other morning, I noticed it was gone. The next thing I knew, it somehow ended up in Peter's coffee."

Beckett stared intently at Rachel. "Why didn't you tell us about this earlier?"

"I knew how it would look." Rachel admitted. "You already knew he was poisoned, I just didn't see the need to tell you that it was my cyanide that he was poisoned with."

Castle and Beckett exchanged glances, mentally trying to decide what to say next.

"Look, detective, I know what you're thinking." Rachel stated. "But I swear I had nothing to do with Peter's murder." She looked over at Castle, pleading with her eyes. "Rick…. Mr. Castle… you know this isn't the way the story would go."

Castle spoke in a serious tone. "A wise woman once told me, 'that's the difference between a novel and the real world. A cop doesn't get to decide how the story ends.'"

Beckett smirked ever so slightly as she stole a quick glance over at Castle before addressing the shaken woman in front of them. "Rachel, I have to ask. Do you have an alibi for the morning that Peter was murdered?"

Rachel nodded. "I was with Paul all morning." She explained. "We had gotten dressed in our costumes early that day and were out getting the display set up before everyone else came out. Long before Peter's coffee would have been poisoned."

"Then I'm sure the tapes and Paul will both be able to clear your name." Beckett added.

Rachel looked up at them with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. If I had never left that vile here, Peter would still be alive."

Castle rose from his seat on the bench and crossed the room to where Rachel sat. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You can't blame yourself, Rachel. If someone wanted Peter dead, they would have found a way to make sure it happened."

Beckett smiled and gave Castle an approving nod before they made their way out of the locker room, leaving Rachel to gather her thoughts.

* * *

Beckett paced back and forth in front of the murder board, the frustration evident on her face. Castle returned, coffees in hand, and offered one to her.

"Rachel's alibi checks out." She stated.

Castle nodded. "So where do we go from here?"

Beckett shook her head and looked at the board. "I don't know." She paused and let out a deep breath. "We just keep going around in circles and we're getting nowhere."

She glanced around the empty bullpen. It was late afternoon on Christmas Eve and the only detectives still working that evening were those who had active investigations.

Beckett looked down at her watch. "Listen, Castle, you have that dinner party with Gina in a few hours and I know you don't have a lot of time to spend with Alexis and Martha before you head out." She motioned towards the elevator. "Why don't you go home? Spend some time with them?"

Castle considered her suggestion. "I am a little worried about Alexis." Beckett turned and watched him as he continued. "She's been having a hard time getting into the holiday spirit without her mother around this year."

Beckett let her head hang unconsciously, causing Castle to wince when he realized the connection.

"I'm sorry…" He offered.

She could hear the sincerity in his voice and tried her best to force a smile. "Castle, it's okay, really." She paused and took a deep breath to compose herself. "Listen, if you want to be there for Alexis, there's only one thing you can do right now."

Castle looked at her, hopeful. "What's that?"

Beckett smiled a little easier. "Just be her father." She sat on the edge of her desk before she continued. "What I needed the most after my mother died was just to know that my father would be there for me. That he would be strong for me. That it was okay for me to grieve and be weak and that he would be there to pull me up when I was ready."

Castle sat down beside her, never taking his eyes off of her. "It must have been terrible to go through that alone."

"It was." She admitted. "And Alexis doesn't have to go through that. She shouldn't." She composed herself before looking over at Castle. "She's a strong young woman, Castle." He winced at the words, eliciting a quiet laugh from Beckett as she corrected herself. "Sorry… girl?"

Castle nodded. "That's better."

"Alexis is a strong _girl_, Castle." She smiled at the approving look on Castle's face. "She just needs to grieve in whatever way she feels comfortable. All you can really do for her right now is let her do just that. And let her know that you're there for her whenever and however she needs you to be."

Castle lowered his eyes, still obviously discouraged. Beckett shook her head and smiled at him. She softly placed her warm hand on his arm, catching his attention.

She leaned in ever so slightly closer to him and spoke sincerely. "You're a wonderful father, Castle. Alexis is very lucky to have you."

Castle looked up at Beckett and couldn't help but smile. "Thank you."

They held their gaze for a brief moment before Beckett pulled away, bringing her hand back down to her knee.

"Now go home, Castle." She said, a sweetness to her words, even if she was ordering him around.

Castle considered her offer reluctantly, finally caving. "Alright, but only if you promise to call me if you get a break in the case."

Beckett smiled. "I promise."

Despite their agreement, they both sat still and silent, just as they were. Neither one wanted to move.

After a minute or two that felt like hours, Castle finally rose and gathered his coat. He was deep in thought about what to do next when he unconsciously reached his hand out and softly passed it over Beckett's arm.

"Merry Christmas, Kate." He said, his eyes twinkling ever so slightly under the dim Christmas lights of the precinct.

Beckett smiled and nodded. "Merry Christmas, Castle."

With that, Castle smiled at her one last time and turned to head home. Beckett took a deep breath and grinned to herself as she watched him walk away.

**_Almost there, folks! Thank you to everyone who has stayed with this story. Just a few more chapters to go... and they should all be uploaded in the next day or two, so stay tuned!_**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Castle walked into the loft. "Honey, I'm home!" He called out to Alexis, seeing her sitting on the couch, reading a book.

"Hi dad, you're home early." She stated, leaning into his soft kiss against her forehead.

Castle tossed his coat across his chair and sat down beside Alexis on the couch. "Yeah, we hit a few snags in the case. Beckett said it was okay if I just came home to spend some time with you before my dinner with Gina."

Alexis smiled. "Well, I'm glad." She leaned up against his side, resting her head on his shoulder, prompting Castle to put his arm around his daughter to hold her just a little closer.

"I know you've been having a tough time lately and I'm sorry." He said, remembering Beckett's advice. "I just want you to know that no matter what you need, I'm here for you. Always."

Alexis smiled as best she could. "Thanks, dad."

"You know, when you were younger and you scraped your knee or banged your head on something, no matter how much it hurt, all I had to do was put a bandage on it and kiss it better and you'd forget all about the pain." He reminisced fondly. "I wish I could do that now. I wish I could say or do something to make it all better. I'd give anything to be able to do that."

Alexis looked up at her father and gave him a tight hug. "I know you would, dad. And I love you for it." Castle smiled down at his daughter. "You're always willing to do anything you have to do to protect the people you love, that's what makes you who you are."

Alexis buried her head back in her father's side. His eyes narrowed, deep in thought, her words sparking a thought in his mind. "Anything you have to do to protect the people you love." He repeated to himself.

Alexis laughed and sat up, looking at her father with her eyes twinkling. "I know that look, dad… breakthrough with the case?"

Castle smiled at his daughter and nodded. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Alexis smiled back at her father. "Go get your bad guy, dad, I'll see you when you get home."

Castle placed one last kiss on her forehead. "I won't be long." He promised, grabbing his coat and heading for the door.

Just as he opened the door and turned to leave, he jumped back a little, surprised to see someone on the other side.

Beckett stood, shocked, her fist still raised as if ready to knock on the door.

They looked at each other for a moment, letting their surprise process before they asked at the same time, "You know who the killer is, don't you?" They both smiled and nodded slightly.

A thought crossed Castle's mind and his eyes unknowingly glanced up for a brief second. It wasn't long, but Beckett registered it all the same.

"I forgot my keys." Castle said, working to keep the grin from spreading across his lips. "Would you like to come in for a minute?"

Beckett shook her head. "You know, I think I'm just going to stay right here." Castle winced and she laughed. "Really, Castle, that was your worst attempt yet."

Castle grinned. "Well, you can't blame a guy for trying, can you?"

Beckett smiled back at him. "Better luck next Christmas, Castle."

With that, Castle stepped through the doorway and closed the door, Alexis smiling from the couch as she watched them leave.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Castle and Beckett entered the back office of the store to find Tyler and Claire gathering their belongings and getting ready to head home.

"Detective. Mr. Castle. What brings you by at this time of day?" Tyler asked, genuinely surprised to see them.

Beckett motioned for the manager to sit back down. "Please have a seat, Mr. Brooks."

Tyler nodded and did as he was told. He looked quickly at Castle and then back at Beckett. "Does this mean you've solved the case?"

Castle nodded. "Just typing up some loose ends."

Beckett and Castle each took a seat across the desk from Tyler while Claire stood against the wall beside them.

"Mr. Brooks." Beckett began. "We know that Peter caught on to your embezzlement. That he was blackmailing you for your silence."

Tyler nodded. "Yes, and I've already admitted that, detective."

Beckett continued without hesitation. "You had to keep stealing money from the company in order to pay him off."

"But you couldn't risk anyone else catching on, so you stopped Ally from doing the bookkeeping and asked Claire to start doing the banking duties instead." Castle added. "You figured that nobody else would discover the fixed books that way."

Tyler hung his head and looked over at Claire.

"It was obvious that it was only a matter of time before you got caught, especially if you had to keep stealing in order to pay for Peter's silence." Beckett continued. "But you had another way out. And when Rachel left that vile of cyanide in her locker overnight, a locker that you had the keys for, it made it so much easier."

Tyler looked at Castle. "You know, Mr. Castle, your storytelling skills seemed to have rubbed off on your partner." He turned his attention to Beckett. "As interesting a story as that is, detective, there's just one problem. I was in my office the entire morning." He raised his voice in frustration. "I didn't do it."

Beckett grinned. "We know that, Mr. Brooks." She watched as Tyler looked back at her, taken aback by the turn of the conversation. "You weren't the one to take matters into your own hands." She paused before she continued, letting the words sink in for Tyler. "Someone else did that for you."

Tyler's eyes narrowed and he shook his head. "I don't understand…" He tried to focus his thoughts. "Who would have done that?"

Castle kept his focus on the man across the desk while Beckett turned her attention to Claire, nodding in her direction before looking back at Tyler. "Your girlfriend." She stated. "The one you told us was a huge fan of Castle's books."

"The one who hasn't left your side through the entire investigation." Castle added.

Tyler shot a look towards Claire, shock and horror mixed in his expression.

Beckett continued. "Claire knew about the blackmail because you had confided in her. In fact, you asked her to take over Ally's duties because you trusted her." Beckett divulged the rest of the story to a mortified Tyler. "You knew she wouldn't turn you in. But she was worried that you would lose your job and go to prison if you got caught."

Castle spoke when Beckett paused. "She used the set of keys that you had given to her, the ones you took away from Ally, and used them to gain access to Rachel's locker after everyone had left the other night." Castle looked at Claire, her eyes focused sharply on the ground. "She took out the vile of cyanide and hid it for the next morning. Then she waited until Ally was distracted after making Peter's coffee and poured in the lethal dose."

Beckett nodded. "She knew you had an alibi, and since your relationship was a secret from everyone else, she figured nobody would suspect her either. She had no motive outside of her connection to you."

Castle turned his attention back to Tyler, who had turned his eyes away from Claire in disbelief. "In her mind, it was the perfect crime."

His eyes glazed over, Tyler finally spoke, his voice cracking as he did. "How could you do this?"

Claire looked back at Tyler with desperation in her eyes. "I did it to save you. To protect you." She needed him to understand. "You were throwing your life away, _our_ life away. I couldn't sit back and watch that happen."

Two uniformed officers entered and calmly cuffed Claire's hands behind her back.

"Claire Martin." Beckett spoke. "You're under the arrest for the murder of Peter McKay." She nodded at the officers, signaling for them to take her away, reading her the rest of her rights as they left.

Beckett and Castle rose from their seats, satisfied with the outcome.

"If it's any consolation, Mr. Brooks…" Beckett began. "I'm sure you'll be joining her soon enough."

With that, Beckett spun and left the room, signaling two more officers to come in and arrest Tyler for his embezzlement.

Castle stopped at the doorway and turned back around. "I believe the words you're looking for are 'bah humbug.'" He said, turning and running off after Beckett.

_**So, who had it figured out before this chapter? Did the mystery work or did you pick up on the clues earlier? Does it make sense now that you know who the killer was?  
**_

_**Well, just two more chapters to go… a quick little wrap up in the next one and then the big finale… thanks for reading!**_


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Beckett sat in her chair behind her desk, Castle in his beside her, the sole pair left in the now-vacant precinct. The dim glow of the colourful Christmas lights mixed with the yellow tinge of the lamp adoring the desk, casting shadows around the room.

Beckett finished scribbling through the last of her paperwork, closing the folder triumphantly in front of her.

"Is that it, detective?" Castle asked.

Beckett shook her head. "For this one, yes. But I have other work I need to catch up on still." She smiled. "You don't have to stay, Castle."

"I don't mind." He replied. "It's actually kind of nice in here at night."

Beckett nodded. She looked back at him and waited for a moment before she spoke. "Listen, Castle, I'm sorry that you missed your dinner plans with Gina."

Castle looked back at her. "It's okay."

"So how mad was she?" Beckett asked, tentatively.

Castle sighed. "Honestly, at first she was pretty calm about it." Beckett looked at him quizzically. "She said she that on some level, she actually expected it to happen."

Beckett's brow furrowed. "She expected it?" She repeated.

"Well, she expected something to come up and that I'd go running off on another case." He answered. He winced at the thought.

Beckett looked down at her desk. "I'm sorry, Castle."

Castle looked back at her. "Beckett, really, it's not your fault." She looked back up at him and saw the sincerity in his eyes. "We're a team now, right?" She smiled. "So where else would I be while you're cracking our case?"

Beckett laughed and nodded her silent agreement.

"So what about Josh?" Castle asked. "How did he take the news?"

Beckett shook her head. "Not well." She admitted. "He was trying to be understanding about it but he was obviously upset." She leaned back in her chair. "Just another notch in the 'fight' column, I guess."

Castle looked at her and asked cautiously. "The other day, when you were arguing with someone on your phone? In the break room?"

"You saw that?" Beckett asked, surprised. She took a breath before explaining. "Yes… I had told him I wasn't going to go with him to visit his family for Christmas."

Castle nodded. "And then you bailed on him tonight…"

"Hey!" Beckett snapped back, feigning being hurt. "That's not what I did."

Castle laughed. "Well, I think we'll both be in the doghouse for a while after this."

Beckett smiled and nodded.

They sat like that for a few more minutes before Beckett opened up her desk drawer and pulled out a box wrapped in Christmas paper and a bow. She handed it to Castle.

"I meant to give this to you earlier." She said, a tinge of insecurity in her voice.

Castle smiled. "I have something for you too, Beckett, I just don't have it with me."

Beckett laughed. "That's okay, just open it."

Castle studied her expression momentarily, as if trying to read her thoughts and figure out what he was about to unwrap. He took the gift from her hands and tore open the paper, eliciting a wide smile on Beckett's face as she waited to see his reaction.

He opened the box, now free from the coloured paper that had covered it, and pulled out the contents. The polished metal caught the glare from one of the overhead Christmas lights and twinkled, almost as bright as Castle's eyes did when he realized what he was holding.

"A nameplate…." He said, admiring his name engraved in the shiny metal surface, unable to contain the beaming smile on his face.

Beckett watched him, her heart warming at how happy he seemed. "Well, I've been trying to get rid of you for two years now and you still won't leave…" She joked. "So if you insist on sticking around as my partner, I thought you should at least have your name on our desk too."

"It's perfect." Castle said as he looked up at Beckett, grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you."

She watched as he traced his fingers over the engraved letters and it brought a bright smile to her face that he seemed so pleased by her gift.

"Listen." Castle started. "I know you don't really celebrate Christmas anymore…" He trailed off, gathering his thoughts. "But you didn't stop for dinner tonight and you must be starving by now… why don't you just come over to the loft and have a late dinner with us?"

Beckett shook her head slightly, as if convincing herself to decline. "Castle, I…"

"Come on, Beckett. Alexis would love to see you. Mother too." He was just going to put it all out there and hope he could convince her. "And you really shouldn't spend the whole holiday alone. I know that's what you always do, but you shouldn't."

Beckett looked back at his pleading eyes and struggled with her decision.

"I know it's hard for you." He needed to take one last shot. "But you'll always have those memories of your Christmases with your family. Nothing can take that away and nothing you can do will diminish what they mean to you." She looked down at her desk when he paused. "But maybe it's time to start making some new memories too. Maybe it's time to let yourself enjoy the holidays again."

He could tell that his words were starting to make her consider his offer, but she was still hesitating to answer.

"Come on, detective, you can still be alone, moody, and dark on Christmas Day." He joked, finally causing Beckett to let out a small laugh. "Just spend the rest of tonight with us first." He finished, hoping it was convincing enough.

Beckett took a deep breath and looked up into his hopeful eyes. She nodded her head in defeat. "After a speech like that, how could I possibly say no?"

Castle pumped his fists in the air in triumph. "Perfect. Now let's get out of here before you change your mind!"

Beckett laughed and got ready to head out into the cold New York night. They started to walk away when Castle stopped. He turned and placed his nameplate on the desk, right beside Beckett's. He smiled and turned back to the detective, offering his arm as they headed off and out of the bullpen.

In the dim glow of the Christmas lights, the two metal nameplates shimmered as they sat on the desk, side by side. Detective Kate Beckett and Richard Castle.

_**I hope you liked that one… there's just one more chapter to go, so hold on for the big finale! I really think you'll like it :-) Or at least I hope so...  
**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**This is it, folks, it's the final chapter. Thank you to everyone who has followed this story and especially to those that have been so kind in their reviews. It is very much appreciated!**_

_**This is the chapter I've been dying to post. I always love writing these Castle and Beckett moments, and this one is certainly my favourite out of any I've had the chance to write. I really hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, but I appreciate any comments you have regardless of that!**_

_**Without further adieu, I bring you the final chapter…**_

Chapter Sixteen

Castle opened the door to his loft and he and Beckett made their way inside. Beckett was careful to take a few extra steps into the loft, looking up cautiously at the doorway as she entered, causing Castle to laugh at her.

Castle took their coats and hung them up in the closet as Alexis came down the stairs.

"Detective Beckett!" Alexis called out in surprise, picking up the pace to join the pair. "Are you celebrating with us tonight or is dad in trouble?" She asked, jokingly.

Beckett laughed. "A little of both, I suppose." She smiled at the teenager. "Merry Christmas, Alexis."

Alexis accepted a hug from her father and Castle held her to his side. "Merry Christmas, Detective Beckett."

Beckett winced at the formality. "Please, Alexis, you can call me Kate."

Alexis smiled as her father's eyes narrowed in mock insult. "Wait, do I get to call you Kate?"

Beckett raised her eyebrow and shook her head, eliciting a pout from Castle just as Martha made her way over from the kitchen.

"Welcome home, kiddo." Martha said, giving her son a warm smile. "And Kate, it's lovely to see you again, my dear." Martha hugged Beckett.

"You too, Martha." She replied. "And Merry Christmas."

Martha motioned for her son and Kate to follow her into the kitchen. "You two must be starving after the day you've had. Come on back, we have plenty of leftovers."

Beckett looked over at Castle and he smiled as he nodded for her to follow Martha. She smiled back and the trio made their way into the kitchen.

* * *

Empty plates and glasses adorned the small table in Castle's living room. Martha sat in the armchair while Castle and Beckett took up residence on the couch and Alexis sprawled herself out on the plush rug that covered the hardwood floor. Laughter erupted from the room and the combined smiles were almost as bright as the lights that shimmered on the Christmas tree in the corner of the room.

"Well, my dears…" Martha said as she rose from her chair. "I think it's time for me to retire for the evening."

Castle gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, mother, and thank you for dinner."

"Yes, thank you, Martha." Beckett added. "And Merry Christmas."

Martha hugged Beckett warmly. "You too, dear."

Castle noticed his mother gave him an approving nod in Beckett's direction as she made her way past them and up to her bedroom. Castle smiled and shook his head in amusement.

"Can I help you with the dishes?" Beckett offered, noticing the mess on the table.

Castle grinned. "No, I'll take care of them later, detective. Just go relax for a bit."

Beckett nodded and Castle cleared the dishes from the table and dropped them off in the kitchen. "I'll be back in a minute." He said as he quietly left the room.

Beckett made her way back into the living room and saw Alexis looking solemnly at the Christmas tree. She sat down beside the young redhead.

"Alexis, I know you're going through a tough time right now." Beckett stated. "If you want to talk about it, I would be happy to listen."

Alexis smiled as much as she could as she looked up at Beckett. "Can I ask you something, detec… sorry… Kate…?"

Beckett smiled and nodded. "Anything."

"How did you get over it?" Alexis asked. "Losing your mom, I mean. How'd you get over it and be able to just live your life and enjoy having these happy times again without feeling badly about it?"

Beckett thought about her answer for a second, shaking her head before she spoke. "The truth is, I never did." She swallowed hard when she saw the reaction of Alexis' face. "But I was wrong to think that it wasn't okay to move on. And I didn't have anybody around me to tell me otherwise." She looked down at Alexis and the young girl looked back up at her, seeing the sincerity in her eyes. "You'll always miss your mother, Alexis, but don't ever forget how lucky you are to have your father and your grandmother here for you still."

Alexis smiled. "And you?"

"Of course." Beckett nodded, smiling back at her.

Alexis wrapped her arms around Beckett and gave her a tight hug. Beckett was taken aback for a second but then smiled and wrapped her arms around Alexis as well.

"I'm glad you came." Alexis said, resting her head on Beckett's shoulder.

Beckett laughed. "Well, your father can be quite convincing when he wants to be. He's the one that talked me into coming."

Alexis grinned. "I'm really happy he did, Kate."

"Me too, Alexis. Me too." Beckett replied.

Castle watched from behind as the two sat quietly, still holding onto each other. He had been grinning from ear to ear the whole time, so touched by the scene in front of him that he didn't dare interrupt. He waited and watched for a few more minutes before he made his presence known.

"Hey, you two." He said, still smiling, sitting down beside his daughter.

Alexis looked up at her father. "I think I'm going to head up to bed." She gave her father a hug and a kiss. "Goodnight, dad. I love you."

"I love you too." He replied.

Alexis turned back to Beckett. "Goodnight, Kate. And thank you."

Beckett smiled. "Anytime, Alexis. Sleep well." The two shared one more hug and Alexis made her way upstairs. She looked down one last time at the two adults she had left sitting together in the living room and smiled.

"Castle, thank you again for inviting me tonight." Beckett said, the sincerity evident in her tone. "You really do have a wonderful family."

Castle smiled. "Well, I'm happy you came. And you know, you're welcome to be a part of this family anytime you'd like." He motioned to the second floor. "Alexis and Martha were thrilled that you were here." Castle grinned. "And I didn't mind that much either."

Beckett laughed and nodded her head, appreciating his typical way of lightening those heavy moments.

Castle stood up and offered his hand to Beckett. "Come on, I have something for you."

Beckett looked at him, quizzically. "That depends on where you're taking me." She replied.

"Just trust me." He laughed, waving his hand around for her to take it.

Beckett studied him for a second. _Did she trust him?_ She smirked and took his hand.

* * *

Castle led Beckett through the doorway of his study. She made sure to stand a few extra steps away from the doorway and Castle grinned and shook his head when he noticed.

He let go of her hand and moved over behind his desk. He opened the top drawer and pulled out a gift, wrapped in a bright red bow, handing it to Beckett. She took it from him and he sat on the edge of his desk.

"Merry Christmas." He said, holding his breath as he waited for her to open it.

Beckett carefully unwrapped the paper to reveal a novel. She studied the cover. It was a Richard Castle novel, but she didn't recognize it. "I've never heard of this one…" She started to say, still studying the novel for a spark of recollection.

"No, you wouldn't have." Castle replied. "It's never been released."

Beckett looked up at him, a surprised look on her face.

"I wrote it a few years back about something I went through when I was younger." He explained. "But I guess it was just a little too personal for me to share with the world. In fact, nobody has ever read it before. Just me."

She ran her fingers across the cover, taking in the depth of what he was saying.

"I had a copy made the other day. The only one that exists aside from my original manuscript." He continued. "I wanted you to have it."

Beckett tried to speak but she couldn't seem to find the words. Castle pushed himself off of his desk and stood in front of her, opening the cover for her and pointing at the inscription.

"I signed it for you too." He said, grinning.

Beckett read the inscription. _Kate, my books may have changed your life before I knew you, but you've changed mine every day since the moment we met. Extraordinary doesn't even begin to cover it anymore…. Richard Castle._

Beckett swallowed the lump in her throat as her eyes glossed over. "Castle, I…" She stumbled over the words while Castle smiled at her speechlessness. She looked up at him and smiled. "Thank you."

The two shared an intense moment of silence that was broken by Castle's clock chiming the early hour.

Beckett shook herself out of her thoughts. "I should get going."

Before she could move, Castle reached out his hand and took a gentle hold on hers, pointing up as he grinned.

Beckett looked up to see a sprig of mistletoe hung from the ceiling fan directly above her and shook her head in amused disbelief.

"I took your advice, detective." Castle beamed. "You have only yourself to blame."

Beckett smiled and nodded. "The one time you listen to me, huh?"

"Remember, it's a timeless tradition." Castle reminded her. "Plus, it's not like we haven't done this before." He smirked smugly.

Beckett laughed at the thought. "You've got me there."

Castle edged closer to Beckett and took the book from her hands, placing it quietly on the desk behind him. As the two locked eyes, all of the humour and lightness of the moment slipped away, both knowing this was about more than just tradition.

Beckett let her eyes slip away from his and downward just slightly, silently giving Castle the cue he had been waiting for. He closed the small gap that was left between them, gently placing his hand on her cheek as he leaned in.

Castle kissed her lips softly as if testing how far she would be willing to let him go. His second was just as tentative, a gentleness that prompted Beckett to lay one hand on his arm. It was the third that made them both let go and give in to each other. Castle ran his other hand around her and pushed gently on the small of her back, bringing them closer while Beckett wrapped hers around his neck and deepened the kiss. They continued like this, expressing everything they had been feeling for each other for the past two years in this one changing moment. They finally parted, slowly and with much reservation, a part of each of them not wanting this moment to end. They looked at each other, stunned and struggling to read what they saw in the eyes they were searching across from theirs. It was in that moment that they knew the truth after all of this time.

Beckett lowered her head and pulled herself away. "I should go." She stammered as she reached for her gift and clutched it in front of her as if it would protect her. She forced herself to look at him again, his eyes sparkling even in the dim light. "Thank you for the book. And for dinner. All of it was just perfect, Castle."

"Well, if you stay for breakfast, you'll be even more impressed." He grinned and winked.

Beckett laughed and Castle beamed at that. "You know that's not a good idea." She stated.

"Actually, it's a great idea." He replied, still grinning from ear to ear.

Beckett couldn't help but smile before she turned serious. "Castle, you know I can't do that. We can't do that." Castle's smile faded with her words. "And we both know why."

He nodded in agreement. "Josh."

"And Gina." She reminded him.

With that, Castle gave her some space and hopped back up on the edge of his desk. "Will you at least come back tomorrow? Spend Christmas Day here with us?"

Beckett looked at him, trying hard to resist his pleading eyes.

"I promise to behave myself." He offered, immediately rewarded with a raised eyebrow from Beckett. "Okay, I'll try." He corrected, grinning.

Beckett laughed and shook her head, knowing she was inevitably going to give in no matter how hard she tried not to. It took one last look at his smiling face to break her. "Okay."

Castle's eyes widened, clearly surprised by her response. "Really?"

Beckett laughed and nodded. "Yes. I'll come by tomorrow morning and spend the day with you and your family." She smiled. "I'll even bring the coffee."

Castle grinned from ear to ear.

"Castle?" She asked, her insecurities getting the best of her. He nodded for her to continue, terrified that she was getting ready to run from him. Beckett lowered her eyes to the ground. "What happens after that? I mean, where do we go from there?"

Castle smiled, reaching out to take hold of her hand and drawing her attention back to his eyes. "Once the holidays are over, we'll tell Josh and Gina the truth." He paused, still seeing some lingering doubt in Beckett's expression. "I've waited a long time for this, Kate, and I can wait a while longer. Whatever it takes to make this work."

Beckett smiled back at him. "Me too." She admitted. Unable to stop herself, she leaned back in towards him and kissed him. This time, it took only seconds before they lost themselves in the moment.

The sound of a door closing shut caused them both to break away. Beckett looked at Castle, alarmed, causing him to chuckle.

"It's probably just Alexis." He explained. "Every Christmas Eve she waits until she thinks I've gone to bed and sneaks down to see if she can figure out what gifts are what."

Beckett laughed. "I guess she really does take after her father."

Castle tried to pull Beckett closer again but she put a hand out to stop him. He looked at her, confused.

"I don't want Alexis to see us like this." She stated. "Not until we've done this the right way. Once we're both single and free to see each other and once we can talk to your daughter and make sure she's okay with us dating."

Castle nodded. "You're right."

Just as Beckett dropped her guard, Castle pulled her back towards him and grinned. "But I never listen to you, remember?"

With that, the two lost themselves in one more kiss. Despite her earlier protests, Beckett gave in just as much as Castle did, both knowing it would be far too long before they could do this again.

As they parted one last time, Castle placed a soft kiss on Beckett's forehead and whispered to her. "Merry Christmas."

She looked up into his sparkling eyes and returned the sentiment. "Merry Christmas."

Castle rose from his perch on his desk, still holding Beckett's hand. He pulled her into his side and they gazed at each other as they turned to leave.

Both froze immediately when they saw the figure standing in the doorway.

Castle's words broke the silence in the room.

"Gina."

* * *

**_Fade to black, roll credits, and break for the Christmas holidays…_**

_**So, what did you think?**_


End file.
